Long Ball Propels Braves to win in Possible Postseason Preview

Three home runs and a milestone night for Martín Pérez cap a big night for the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field

Home runs were aplenty for the Braves on Tuesday | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the regular season reaching its final days and magic numbers shrinking around the league, every game for the Atlanta Braves feels like it comes with a playoff atmosphere — and Tuesday's win over the Chicago Cubs was no exception.

Chicago jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind former Brave Kevin Gausman, but the Braves answered in a hurry. When Gausman exited the game with one out in the sixth and a runner on first, Ronald Acuña Jr. continued his torrid September by launching his 18th home run of the season to right field, pulling Atlanta back into the game.

Ozzie Albies, who had grounded out in each of his first two at-bats against Gausman, greeted another former teammate, Jacob Webb, with a two-run homer in the seventh to give the Braves their first lead. Drake Baldwin added two crucial insurance runs of his own with the team's third two-run home run of the night, sealing the win on the road.

Those three homers were the difference in the game, and they came against a Cubs pitching staff that leads the majors in home runs allowed — right alongside a Chicago offense that leads the league in home runs hit. Atlanta simply made the loudest contact and took full advantage.

Martín Pérez continued his strong run on the mound, notching another quality start. But Tuesday's win carried extra significance for him personally: it marked the 100th victory of his career, a milestone he'd been sitting on for his previous six starts.

"Everything you get, you earn," manager Walt Weiss said after the game. "That's a special accomplishment, and he's had to grind for it. You always do to accomplish anything in this league, and great for Martín coming off the injury and reestablishing himself this year, and then some."

The win also had ripple effects beyond the box score. Chicago's loss clinched the NL Central title for the Milwaukee Brewers, and it shrank Atlanta's magic number to clinch its own division down to five.

With the finish line in sight and the stakes climbing by the day, the Braves are starting to look like a team that knows exactly what October requires — and they're already playing like it's here.

Enjoy our content? Make BravesOnSI a Preferred Source to see more stories from us on Google: https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com