Monday Turning Points: First-Inning Jitters and Lack of Offense Doom Swooning Cubs

Coming off a brutal series loss against the lowly Washington Nationals, the Chicago Cubs headed to the outskirts of Atlanta—a place they frequently struggle—for a three-game set. Chicago narrowly escaped with a series win last week against the Braves, and Monday's results indicated that the Cubs would once again be in for a long week in the 404. 

It all started in the bottom of the first inning, when the normally solid Shota Imanaga allowed Atlanta to get on the board with three runs. Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuna Jr. created that rally, and the Braves never looked back after taking the lead. Imanaga was able to settle in, but it was the Braves' Bryce Elder who limited Chicago to just one run across 6 1/3 innings, including striking out four of the first eight batters he faced.

Here are the standout players and key players from Monday's loss.

Bottom of the First, Ozzie Albies vs. Shota Imanaga, +10.7% Win Expectancy
Jumping out to a first-inning lead is always the goal. Atlanta was able to successfully reach that goal, thanks to Albies. After Imanaga retired the first two batters of the inning, Albies took a 1-1, center-cut fastball from Imanaga and smoked it, sending it 435 feet. It was the second home run for Albies this season against Imanaga, with the first coming last Tuesday on another center-cut fastball.

Bottom of the First, Drake Baldwin vs. Shota Imanaga, +10.2% Win Expectancy
One run in the first inning is a good start. A crooked number is a great start and that is exactly what the Braves did. With shortstop Ha-Seong Kim on first and two outs in the inning, rookie catcher Drake Baldwin drove a first-pitch fastball into right-center field. Kim came around to score, and just like that, it was 2-0 Braves. Baldwin entered Monday hitting .323 with a .912 OPS against left-handers. His double continued his recent success and furthered his case for NL Rookie of the Year.

Bottom of the First, Ronald Acuna Jr. vs. Shota Imanaga, +7% Win Expectancy
Acuna entered Monday night hitless in his last 25 at-bats. That ended rather quickly, as he jumped on a 1-1 fastball and lined it into left field for a run-scoring single to make it 3-0 Atlanta. The ball left Acuna's bat at 108 mph, his hardest-hit ball since a 115-mph single on August 26. In the blink of an eye, Atlanta went from nobody on base and two outs to a 3-0 lead against one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball over the last two seasons. As it turned out, the game was essentially over at that point.

Top Performers

• Bryce Elder, +21.1% WPA, 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER
• Ozzie Albies, +7.6% WPA, 1-4, HR, RBI
• Drake Baldwin, +7.9% WPA, 1-4, RBI

Notable Cubs

• Pete Crow Armstrong, -13.2% WPA, 0-4
• Shota Imanaga, -11.6% WPA, 6 IP, 3 ER