CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong connected on his 43rd and 44th home runs of the year while breaking the Chicago Cubs’ single-season record for left-handed hitters, and starting pitcher Shota Imanaga allowed a run in six innings during an 8-4 home win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.
Crow-Armstrong homered to lead off the third, breaking the franchise record set in 1970 by Billy Williams. Crow-Armstrong led off the seventh with another shot for his seventh multihomer game of the season and the 13th of his MLB career, which dates to September 2023.
Chicago’s Alex Bregman went 3-for-4 with a homer, triple, double and four RBIs, and Crow-Armstrong added an RBI triple as the National League Central Division’s Cubs (85-68) stayed a half-game ahead of the NL East’s Philadelphia Phillies (84-68) for the league’s top spot in the wild-card standings.
The Phillies, who are second in the NL East, beat the Washington Nationals 3-0 and gained a game on the first-place Braves (89-64) in the division standings. Atlanta has lost three of its past four games and is 7-8 in September.
After allowing three hits in the first two innings, Imanaga (11-10) retired 11 straight batters before Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled and later scored in the sixth. Imanaga struck out eight batters and walked none.
On a night when the Braves could have clinched a playoff spot with a win and help from other results, Atlanta starter J.R. Ritchie (1-3) allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Bregman led off the fourth with his 26th home run of the season, and Crow-Armstrong drove in Carson Kelly with a triple to right in the fifth before Bregman’s triple scored a pair of runs.
Chicago shortstop Dansby Swanson, who has been out since Aug. 16 with a left oblique strain, took six at-bats in a simulated game Wednesday and is on schedule to be activated Friday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
The Braves, who dropped the series to the Cubs after losing 7-3 on Monday and winning 6-3 on Tuesday, are off Thursday before starting a three-game series Friday with the Houston Astros, who are atop the American League West Division standings.