Williams K’s 8, but 1 mistake leads to loss

It was not the kind of blast that required a quick turn on the mound to see if the ball might stay in the yard. No, Cubs starter Trevor Williams looked off to the side, while Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. flipped his bat and pounded his chest.

One mistake by Williams — an ill-fated offering that soared 481 projected feet — was all it took to send the Cubs on their way to a 5-0 loss on Tuesday night. With an absence of offense for Chicago, Acuña’s mammoth home run marred an otherwise solid start for the righty.

Williams struck out eight, including four in a row before Acuña’s solo homer in the fifth, in five innings. The Cubs right-hander ended with six hits scattered and two runs allowed, and he escaped a bases-loaded jam by inducing a popout off Acuña’s bat in the second.

Chicago’s lineup simply had no answers against right-hander Ian Anderson, who allowed a Jake Marisnick single in the third and nothing else. The Braves’ starter struck out eight in seven frames, sending the Cubs to their fourth loss in a row.