Ha-Seong Kim (above) had a single during the Braves’s three-run first inning against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves

Stop me if you have heard this before, but Bryce Elder was the key reason the Atlanta Braves won tonight. The Braves defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-1 and Elder was lights out.

The Braves were back at Truist Park a day after losing a three-game series to the Seattle Mariners. Monday night’s starting pitcher, Bryce Elder, came into the game against the Chicago Cubs having come off of one of his best outings of the season against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 3. Elder went seven innings, gave up just four hits and one run, while striking out seven Cubs.

He started Monday night’s game on the right track, striking out three of the first seven Cubs he faced in the first inning and second innings, including Pete Crow Armstrong. Elder has experienced some rough early innings this season, so the strong start to this game was a welcomed sight for a Braves pitching staff and defense that gave up 18 runs to Seattle on Sunday.

Elder was pitching well again. The Texas native picked up two more strikeouts in the third inning and had a 1-2-3 fourth inning.

At the plate, Ozzie Albies got things started for Atlanta with a first inning solo home run to left field off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. Following a single from Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, potential National League Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin laced a double off of the center field fence to bring Kim home and give the Braves a 2-0 lead. Ronald Acuna drove Baldwin in to make the score 3-0, and also snapped a 0-25 hitting streak in the process.

The roughest inning for Elder came in the sixth when he gave up a pair of singles and a walk to Michael Busch, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki, the top of the Cubs lineup. Elder then got Pete Crow-Armstrong to ground out to Albies to end the inning.

Elder would come out of the game in the seventh inning with a runner on third base. That runner, Nick Hoerner, hit a double to start the inning. The hit was the only extra-base hit Elder gave up during his time on the mound. Elder, who went 6.1 innings with five strikeouts, was charged with the run the Cubs scored moments later on a sacrifice fly from Matt Shaw off a Pierce Johnson fastball.

The Braves would get the run back when Matt Olson hit his 23rd home run of the season in the eighth inning, putting Atlanta up 4-1.

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