Kyle Tucker blasted a three-run homer to highlight a four-run third inning and the Chicago Cubs held on for a 4-3 win against the visiting Atlanta Braves on Tuesday evening.
Nico Hoerner had two hits and scored a run for the Cubs (80-59), who took the opener of the three-game series, 7-6, in 10 innings on Monday and have won four of the past five overall.
Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga (9-6) allowed three runs and five hits over six innings. He struck out two and walked one.
Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar threw scoreless innings of relief before Daniel Palencia stranded runners on the corners in the ninth to earn his 22nd save.
Braves left-hander Joey Wentz (3-4) sailed through the first two innings before getting in trouble in the third. He was finished after surrendering four runs and seven hits over 4-plus innings, striking out eight and walking one.
Ozzie Albies and Eli White homered, and Marcell Ozuna and Ha-Seong Kim contributed two hits each for the Braves (62-77), who have lost five of six.
Wentz struck out the side in the second to give him four straight strikeouts overall, but he gave up back-to-back one-out singles to No. 9 hitter Kevin Alcantara and Hoerner in the third.
Tucker then fouled off a two-strike cutter before going the other way with a fastball, clearing the fence in left-center field to give Chicago a 3-0 lead.
The inning continued with a walk and a two-out looping single by Justin Turner, putting runners on the corners for Ian Happ, who hit a line drive that got past Kim at shortstop, allowing another run to score to make it 4-0.
Kim was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday and is expected to be Atlanta’s regular shortstop for the remainder of the season.
Atlanta recorded its first hit when Matt Olson tripled to lead off the fourth and he scored on a wild pitch. Albies then took Imanaga deep over the fence in left on a full-count fastball to cut it to 4-2.
White led off the fifth by blasting a 409-foot homer to left-center field to trim the lead to 4-3.
Tucker looped a single to right-center to lead off the fifth, ending the day for Wentz. Rolddy Munoz entered and got three outs on four pitches in his major league debut to keep it a one-run game.
Munoz pitched two scoreless innings overall.
