Cubs' Cade Horton boggles Braves again

Cade Horton baffled the Atlanta bats for the second straight outing with 6 1/3 strong innings and Pete Crow-Armstrong drove in a pair of runs to help the visiting Chicago Cubs beat the Braves 6-1 on Tuesday to even their three-game series.

The Cubs (82-63) ended a three-game losing streak and now hold a 3-2 lead over the Braves (65-80) in the season series. The Cubs are trying to win a season series against Atlanta for the first time since 2017.

Horton (10-4) allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts and no walks. He threw 87 pitches and lowered his ERA to 2.70. Last Wednesday, Horton threw five no-hit innings against the Braves and was removed after reaching a pitch limit.

Andrew Kittredge retired the final two batters in the seventh. Caleb Thielbar worked a scoreless eighth and Ben Brown closed the game on his 26th birthday with a perfect ninth.

Crow-Armstrong was 1-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and two stolen bases. He also drove in the Cubs' first run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and singled in their second run in the third.

Atlanta's Spencer Strider (5-13) suffered his fifth straight loss. He pitched six innings and allowed two runs on six hits, three walks and eight strikeouts -- his most since fanning eight against the New York Mets on July 18. Strider also picked Willi Castro off first base.

The Braves cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the third. Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled and scored on Jurickson Profar's two-out single to right. Acuna's hit to lead off the inning was the first by the Braves in two starts against Horton.

Chicago put the game away with a four-run rally in the eighth. Reliever Alexis Diaz walked Dansby Swanson with the bases loaded and was replaced by Connor Seabold. Matt Shaw singled to center field to drive in a pair of runs, then a third scored when Michael Harris II's throw scooted past the third baseman.