Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/14/24): Braves 7, Cubs 0 – Atlanta Sales in Second Consecutive Shutout

The Cubs were facing a very tough matchup on paper against Chris Sale and a stacked Braves lineup on Tuesday night at Truist Park. Sometimes things happen differently than expected in these situations, but that was decidedly not the case in this game as Atlanta went up big and coasted to a second consecutive shutout victory.

Matt Olson put the Braves on top in the bottom of the 1st inning with an RBI double against Jameson Taillon. The Cubs had a very difficult time generating any offense against Sale, a fact that certainly wasn’t helped when Nico Hoerner was scratched right before the opening pitch with left hamstring tightness.

Atlanta put the game away with a six-run explosion in the bottom of the 4th that began with a solo shot from Michael Harris II. Later in the inning, a bases-loaded wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Marcell Ozuna plated two more.

Olson then stepped up to the plate and mashed a three-run homer that put the Bravos up by a touchdown. Things were academic from that point and the score remained unchanged with the home team winning easily. (Box score)

Key Moment

One run would have been enough for the Braves to win given the Cubs’ offensive issues, but the huge 4th inning removed all doubt as to the outcome on Tuesday.

Why the Cubs Lost

They have now gone 18 innings without scoring, making it literally impossible to win a game. Atlanta’s hitters weren’t going to stay quiet forever and they finally exploded.

Stats That Matter

• This was Taillon’s first bad start of the year but it’s not like it was a weak lineup: 4 IP, 7 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 K, and 3 BB.
• Newly acquired Tyson Miller pitched two scoreless innings in his first Cubs game since 2020.
• Chicago had a total of five baserunners on Tuesday and two of them came via hit by pitch.

Bottom Line

That was probably the Cubs’ most uncompetitive game in 2024 and it felt like they didn’t really have a chance from the start. The Braves are very good and Sale has been terrific early, so it’s probably just one of those days. Chicago’s bats will have to wake up at least a little bit, however, or the losses might start snowballing and that would not be good.

On Deck

The Cubs will try and avoid the sweep Wednesday at 6:20pm CT. Javier Assad takes the hill against the veteran Charlie Morton in a contest available on MLB Network (out of market only), Marquee, and 670 The Score.