Chicago Cubs are 1½ games back in the NL Central after beating the Atlanta Braves 6-4 for their 6th straight series win

Cody Bellinger had his third straight multihit game, scored twice and drove in a run as the Chicago Cubs beat the MLB-leading Atlanta Braves 6-4 on Sunday for their sixth straight series win.

Dansby Swanson added a double and two RBIs against his former team, and Ian Happ drove in a pair of runs to help the Cubs win for the 15th time in 19 games. They trail the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by 1 1/2 games in the National League Central.

In 23 games since the All-Star break, the surging Cubs have scored 164 runs, the most in the majors.

“The offense again, man, just relentless at-bats,” manager David Ross said. “The walks fuel us a little bit and getting guys on and creating traffic. Stealing a base here or there and putting the pressure on the defense and some timely hitting.”

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All-Star Justin Steele scuffled at times through 5 1/3 innings but won his fourth straight start on a misty day at Wrigley Field. Mike Tauchman had two hits, scored two runs and threw out Ronald Acuña Jr. at the plate from right field in the fifth to limit a Braves rally.

“The National League is kind of running through the Braves right now,” Tauchman said. “It’s evidence that if we execute the way that we can ... we can compete with anybody.”

Atlanta’s Matt Olson hit his NL-leading 39th home run, a monster 453-foot blast to the top of Wrigley’s right-center bleachers, and finished with three RBIs. Ozzie Albies had three hits, including a double. Olson and Acuña each had two hits.

Olson launched his third homer in four games and sixth in seven. He’s second in the majors in homers, trailing only the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, who entered Sunday with 40.

Bellinger is 13-for-31 (.419) during an eight-game hitting streak and has raised his batting average to .326 from .271 on June 15, when he returned from a bone bruise on his knee.

Steele (13-3) allowed four runs, three earned, and eight hits while striking out seven and walking four.

He was replaced by Michael Fulmer with the bases loaded in the sixth and the Cubs ahead 5-3. Fulmer hit Acuña to force in a run, then struck out Albies and Austin Riley to end the rally and preserve a 5-4 lead.

Four Cubs relievers allowed just two hits, with Adbert Alzolay earning his his 14th save.

“It’s a great ballclub over there,” Steele said. “You kind of knew the task at hand. It was just one of those wins and everybody kind of contributed.”

Charlie Morton (10-10) lost his fourth straight start, allowing five runs and four hits with four walks and a hit batter in 4 1/3 innings.

“I don’t think there’s any excuses other than we just didn’t play good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We ran up against a hot team. They’re swinging the bats really good. Their bullpen has been really good.”

Olson’s two-run drive in the third put Atlanta ahead. The Cubs tied it at 2 in the bottom half with just one hit when Morton walked three and hit a batter.

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The Braves took a 3-2 lead in in the fifth on Olson’s RBI single. The Cubs answered with three runs in the bottom half, with runs scoring on Happ’s single, Bellinger’s double and Jeimer Candelario’s single.

Atlanta cut it to 5-4 in the sixth and chased Steele. Swanson doubled in Bellinger in the seventh to make it 6-4.

Cubs move

The Cubs recalled right-hander Caleb Kilian from Triple-A Iowa and optioned lefty Anthony Kay. Manager David Ross said Kilian should help fill a gap in the rotation with right-hander Marcus Stroman on the injured list with right hip inflammation.

The 26-year-old Kilian is 7-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) for Iowa this season. He has a 2.43 ERA in his last seven games (six starts) dating to June 21.

Stroman, who played catch on Saturday, is eligible to return Aug. 16.

Up next

Braves: Right-hander Spencer Strider (12-3, 3.61) starts Monday in Pittsburgh. The Pirates will go with righty Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 5.18).

Cubs: Left-hander Drew Smyly (8-7, 4.71) takes the mound versus Mets righty Kodai Senga (7-6, 3.25) on Monday in New York.