Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his MVP push with one home run and four RBIs to help lead the host Chicago Cubs to a 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
Crow-Armstrong was 4-for-5 with his 42nd homer and 37th stolen base of the season.
David Peterson threw six-plus innings of one-run ball for Chicago (84-67), which moved into sole possession of the top National League wild-card spot with the win. Peterson (8-8) struck out seven and induced eight groundouts.
Reynaldo Lopez (4-5) took the loss for the Braves (88-63). Lopez struggled for the second straight start since returning from the injured list, allowing six hits and five runs in three innings.
Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run home run for Atlanta and Sean Murphy provided the team’s other RBI. Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubon each had two-hit nights.
The Cubs loaded the bases against Lopez in the second and scored the game’s opening run on an RBI fielder’s choice for Carson Kelly. Crow-Armstrong followed up with the big hit of the inning, a two-run double down the right field line.
Chicago tacked on two more in the third with Nico Hoerner’s RBI single and Michael Conforto’s run-scoring double, both with two outs.
AJ Smith-Shawver, pitching out of the bullpen for the first time this season, ate valuable innings for a Braves team playing its 11th straight game without an off-day.
Smith-Shawver tossed the final five frames for Atlanta, with the only damage coming on Crow-Armstrong’s two-run shot with two outs in the sixth.
After giving up a leadoff single to Harris in the seventh, Peterson’s night was over and Javier Assad was called upon to replace him.
An Alex Bregman throwing error put runners on the corners and Murphy ended the shutout with an RBI fielder’s choice. Yastrzemski then paid off an eight-pitch at-bat with a 407-foot two-run homer to center.
Things got dicey for Chicago when Ryan Rolison gave up a single and a walk to Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson to start the eighth, but Ozzie Albies hit into a double play and Harris flew out to end the inning.
The Braves worked the bases loaded against Ryan Zeferjahn in the ninth, but after striking out Murphy, Zeferjahn got Ronald Acuna Jr. to ground into a game-ending double play.