Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/14/26): Cubs 2, Braves 0 – Losing Streak Snapped

The Cubs snapped their four-game losing streak against the Braves on Thursday night. Their persistent hitting issues continued, but outstanding work from the pitching staff was enough to salvage the finale with a shutout victory.

Ben Brown had a second consecutive excellent start, allowing just a single and a walk in four scoreless frames. Chicago could not do any damage against Atlanta ace Chris Sale, and the game stayed tied into the 6th inning.

The Bravos opened the door for the North Siders when shortstop Ha-Seong Kim made a wild relay throw to second on what looked like a routine double play to put runners on first and third with one out in the 6th. Matt Shaw followed by grounding into a forceout that brought home the run from third and gave the road side a 1-0 edge.

Ian Happ provided critical insurance with a home run off of Reynaldo Lopez in the top of the 8th that gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. The bullpen did not allow anything over the final five innings and Daniel Palencia closed out the shutout win. (Box score)

Key Moment

Reliever Jacob Webb struck out Atlanta slugger Matt Olson, who represented the tying run in the bottom of the 8th, to end the inning and maintain their 2-0 advantage.

Why the Cubs Won

They completely dominated the very talented Braves lineup.

Stats That Matter

• Brown had seven strikeouts in his four innings of work.
• Happ had a walk and a single to go with his home run.

Bottom Line

The Cubs did a nice job putting up a big effort to break the losing streak before it really got out of hand. Atlanta may be the best opponent they face all season, so avoiding a sweep is a fine outcome. Hopefully, they can use the momentum to win a few more series going forward.

On Deck

The Cubs wrap up the road trip back in Chicago with three against the White Sox, starting Friday at 6:40pm CT. Edward Cabrera faces off against Sean Burke in a game available on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.