Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/14/26): Cubs 7, Braves 3 – Peterson Excellent in W

The Cubs started their series with the Braves off on a positive note Monday night with a win. The home side charged out to a big lead, but there were some tense moments at Wrigley in the late innings when the bullpen had to escape a couple of jams to hang on.

Chicago struck first against Reynaldo López in the bottom of the 2nd on an RBI groundout by Carson Kelly and a two-run double by Pete Crow-Armstrong for a 3-0 advantage. A Nico Hoerner blooper and a double by Michael Conforto increased the margin to 5-0 in the bottom of the 3rd.

David Peterson was outstanding on Monday and didn’t give up anything to Atlanta through six frames. PCA hit his 42nd home run, a two-run shot, off of AJ Smith-Shawver to put the North Siders ahead 7-0 in the bottom of the 6th.

Javier Assad came on in relief of Peterson in the top of the 7th and allowed an inherited run to score, followed by a two-run dinger from Mike Yastrzemski to pull the Braves within 7-3. The Cubs needed a couple of double plays to navigate the final two innings and secure the victory. (Box score)

Key Moment

Ryan Zeferjahn induced a double-play grounder off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. to end the game. The Braves slugger represented the tying run with the bases loaded and one out.

Why the Cubs Won

A quality start and a big cushion on the scoreboard were enough to hold off another bullpen scare Monday.

Stats That Matter

• Peterson really had his best stuff working in this one: 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 7 K, and 3 BB.
• Crow-Armstrong had four hits and stole his 37th base.
• Hoerner had a couple more singles.

Bottom Line

The Cubs’ bullpen is never going to make things easy in 2026, even when they have a pretty big margin for error. It’s going to be a stressful experience the rest of the way, especially in the playoffs, but each victory makes it more certain Chicago will find itself in the postseason for a second consecutive year.

On Deck

The two sides meet again on Tuesday night at 6:40pm CT. Kevin Gausman faces off against Martín Pérez in a contest broadcast on TBS and Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.