ATLANTA — Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner’s knack for improvising plays that defy belief has a flip side, though it rarely is seen.
The ‘‘Oh, wow’’ gives way to an ‘‘Oh, no.’’
With the Cubs and Braves tied at a run apiece in the eighth inning Wednesday, Hoerner saw Michael Harris II sprinting down the line on a slow roller and decided his only chance to get him out was to shovel the ball underhanded with his glove to first baseman Michael Busch.
To the Cubs’ horror, the ball went over Busch’s head. Harris reached safely, and a night of what manager Craig Counsell called ‘‘awesome . . . wonderful’’ pitching by Shota Imanaga was about to go into a death spiral.
Imanaga departed, then reliever Phil Maton hung a couple of curveballs — one that pinch hitter Mike Yastrzemski hit for a tiebreaking double and another that Mauricio Dubon launched into the left-field seats for a two-run home run.
Braves 4, Cubs 1.
Raisel Iglesias, who has yet to be scored on this season, finished off the Cubs in the ninth for his eighth save, and the Braves became the first team in the majors to reach 30 victories.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have their first four-game losing streak of 2026. In two days, the Braves’ bullpen has held them to two singles in 10 scoreless innings. The Cubs have scored a total of three runs during their skid.
‘‘We made a lot of really nice plays tonight,’’ Counsell said on a night leather was flashed on both sides. ‘‘I’m sure Nico — it was a tough play, not an easy play — I’m sure he would tell you, ‘I could have made that play,’ but it was a tough play.’’
Counsell knows his second baseman.
‘‘I think I made it a harder play than it needed to be,’’ Hoerner said. ‘‘Just kind of misread the timing of it. Looking back on the play, there was definitely time to transfer to my hand.
“But you do rely on instincts all the time, and I trust that work
