The Cubs ran into an absolute buzzsaw Friday in the form of the MLB-best Braves. Atlanta threw a shutout and exploded for a seven-run inning to put the game on ice in the 4th inning.
Max Fried and Kyle Hendricks were both very sharp early and neither team got a baserunner through the first three innings. Unfortunately for the Cubs, it was a much different story for the Braves the second time through the lineup.
Hendricks got rocked for seven runs in the top of the 4th inning. The big blows included back-to-back home runs from Sean Murphy and Marcell Ozuna, followed by a triple from Ronald Acuña Jr.