Alex Bregman’s solo homer is the Chicago Cubs’ lone hit in a 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves

That inning provided their greatest chance of blowing the game open with Braves right-hander Grant Holmes issuing three consecutive walks after the home run. Moisés Ballesteros’ 107.1 mph ball up the middle, the hardest-hit ball by a Cub on the night, was snagged by Kim for a forceout at second. A run scored on the play, but the Cubs managed only one baserunner the rest of the game.

The Braves bullpen combined to retire 14 consecutive batters to end the game.

“This is the best pitching staff in baseball right now, so we’ve got to capitalize on our opportunities,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought that was a pretty big play (on Ballesteros), a really hard ground ball up the middle, and they get an out on that play. If we can keep the momentum going in that inning, maybe we get the big inning that they got. But you’re not going to get a ton of chances against a real good pitching staff.”

Bregman’s homer, among strong at-bats by the third baseman all night, was the lone bright spot. The Cubs (27-15) have two runs and nine hits over their last three games, all losses, since their 10-game winning streak ended. The Cubs had six outs on balls hit with an exit velocity over 100 mph, including two by Bregman.

“It’s baseball. Show up tomorrow and hit it hard again,” Bregman said. “Because the likelihood is if you keep hitting the ball hard, you’re going to have success. So I feel like if we worry about that and not the process, it’s not good.”

The Cubs could use more consistent power production from Bregman, whose home run was his first since April 24. He has just four extra-base hits in his last 69 plate appearances.

Over the course of the seven-pitch at-bat against Holmes, Bregman kept focused on his body’s positioning.

“I’ve been kind of flying open,” he said, “so I was just thinking about staying close, then staying connected and being early and those kind of things — probably should have been a little bit more focused on the pitch and everything like that, but it was kind of a little internal, I guess.

“Just trying to take a good swing at a pitch to hit and end up squaring one up there. So hopefully, as those mechanics start trending in the right direction and cleaning up, it’s a lot more of an external thought.”