Cubs hang on to edge Braves 8-6 in win that has postseason-like feel

Is any victory in the beginning of August a pivotal one in the major leagues?

Unlikely.

Let's reserve that kind of talk for September and October when teams are fighting for playoff berths, extending playoff series or making a charge to a world title.

Still, the Cubs' 8-6 victory over Atlanta on Saturday at Wrigley Field had a surprising level of postseason atmosphere, with thousands of Braves fans doing the tomahawk chop during an attempted rally in the sixth inning.

With boos drowning out much of the noise, reliever Mark Leiter Jr. wiggled out of a couple of nasty situations and the Cubs (57-54) went on to win for the 14th time in 18 games.

"It was a nice win," said Cubs manager David Ross. "It's a good team over there. If we didn't win today, it wouldn't end our season, right? We've got a long way to go."

The Cubs sprinted out to a 5-0 lead after one inning, thanks in large part to home runs by Dansby Swanson and Jeimer Candelario.

But this game was really about Ross' pitching staff as six guys combined to basically keep the high-powered Braves (70-38) at bay.

With Marcus Stroman on the IL with right hip inflammation, Javier Assad made just his second start of the season and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 3⅔ innings.

Michael Fulmer (3-5), Leiter Jr., Julian Merryweather and Adbert Alzolay then combined to give up just 2 runs and 5 hits over 5 innings. Daniel Palencia, who walked the bases loaded in the sixth, was the only pitcher who struggled.

"That was a grinder," Ross said. "Guys had to work hard. The bullpen did a great job."

With the Cubs leading 7-2, Leiter Jr. entered with one out and the bases juiced in the sixth. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Michael Harris II, an RBI single to Ronald Acuna Jr. and then he walked Ozzie Albies to load the bases.

That set up a duel with Austin Riley, who has 26 home runs and 68 RBIs. After falling behind 1-0, Leiter Jr. battled back and threw three straight strikes, getting Riley to whiff on an 84-mph splitter.

"They have a great team," said Leiter Jr., who has allowed 4 hits and walked 4 in his last 10⅓ innings. "They're gonna keep coming at you, so you have to stay poised and no matter what's going on just get the next out. That was just a great team win, honestly, top to bottom."

Assad gave up back-to-back singles in the second inning, but ended up allowing just 1 run on a sacrifice fly by Orlando Arcia. Assad, who threw a season-high 83 pitches, also gave up a HR to Albies in the third.

Since June 27, Assad has yielded just 3 runs in 26 innings for a sparkling 1.04 ERA.

"I think the world of Javy," Leiter Jr. said. "He's one of the best pitchers in baseball. Having been a long reliever, it's the most difficult job in the game and he's handled it like a machine. ...

"He's one of the most valuable players on our team for sure. To be able to step in there against one of the best teams in all of baseball and give us a chance to win just speaks volumes to the work he puts in. ...

"I can't say enough good things about Javy. He's tremendous."

Ian Happ hit a home run in the seventh inning to give the Cubs an 8-4 lead. Cody Bellinger went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, Candelario added a double in the fourth inning, and Nick Madrigal and Christopher Morel had RBI singles. Candelario, acquired from Washington in a trade on July 31, is 11-for-19 (.579) in five games with the Cubs.

Swanson has 5 HRs in the last six games, a career-high for him in a six-game span.

Justin Steele (12-3, 2.65 ERA) will face the Braves' Charlie Morton (10-9, 3.62) in the series finale Sunday.