Perez lifts Braves past Cubs 4-2 with 2-run single in 8th

Their front office has been slowly rebuilding the talent in the organization since Theo Epstein took over as president.

This marks the first meeting of the season between the Cubs and Braves.

The performance of the Cubs pitching staff has raised a few eyebrows for many reasons.

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Jason Motte was brought in to shut the door for the Cubs. The Cubs are leading 2-0 and the Markakis grounder is the only hit for the Braves. Pierzynski intentionally with two out and first base open, then walked Andrelton Simmons unintentionally to load the bases.

It was his shortest home start of the season by a full inning, with a 52/3-inning start against the Nationals on April 28 his only other home start of less than six innings. We hope our fantasy football writing team was able to help you win your leagues in 2014, and we will be back at it for the upcoming season as well. While Kris Bryant has lived up to lofty expectations, several players have turned in disappointing performances. Maybe it was just me, but Dexter Fowler appeared to be positioned directly behind second base when Uribe drove a deep fly to center field. Coghlan has a career batting average of. But he was on his “A” game for several hours, throwing 110 pitches. At this point in his development, Castro is who he is.

In the Futures Game, the 22-year-old Schwarber tripled and drove in two runs. Add in 23 year old right fielder Jorge Soler, and 3/4 of the Cubs starting position players are 25 and under.

Along with his powerful bat, cannon of an arm, and improving intangibles, Schwarber has received nothing but praise for his work ethic and clubhouse presence.

Editor’s Note: Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber has been recalled and is expected to play this week against the Braves. While Montero was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a thumb injury, the expectation is that the injury could force him to miss up to six weeks.

In just 26 at-bats, Schwarber has already checked off almost every “career first” hitting wise.

The Cubs had lost eight straight at Turner Field dating to 2012.

This might sound like a lackluster question, but it ends up looking pretty important when you consider the Cubs don’t play a team with a record above. They’re simply going to have to start figuring out ways to generate more offense.

NOTES: Atlanta extended the contract of Fredi Gonzalez through the 2016 season, with a club option for 2017.

Braves: LHP Andrew McKirahan can join the team on Monday. Last month, in his first stint in the major leagues as a designated hitter in interleague games, he went 8-for-22 with a home run and six RBIs before being sent to Triple-A Iowa to develop his catching skills.