Cubs playing short but avoid sweep in Atlanta with 7-1 victory

ATLANTA — For the second consecutive game Wednesday, the Cubs’ Miles Mastrobuoni jogged out to shortstop and Nick Madrigal to second base to start a game.

When the season opened, neither was penciled in at those spots. Mastrobuoni was on the roster as a defensively versatile bench player, and Madrigal was the defensive option at third base. Gold Glovers Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner were reprising their roles as one of the best middle-infield duos in the majors.

But after a sprained right knee landed Swanson on the injured list last week and a tight hamstring sidelined Hoerner for two games, Mastrobuoni and Madrigal stepped in.

‘‘It’s what we need,’’ Mastrobuoni said before the Cubs’ 7-1 victory against the Braves. ‘‘We need guys to step up in these situations until we get our guys back. And we’ve just got to hope that we don’t skip a beat.

‘‘The last two games aren’t going the way that we wanted, but we’ve got an opportunity today to salvage a game from a series with a really good team over there on the other side.’’

That’s exactly what the Cubs did. After being shut out in the first two games of the series, they avoided the sweep. Right-hander Javier Assad threw six scoreless innings and allowed only four hits. His sinker ticked up in velocity and generated 12 called strikes. 

“He was able to get guys to swing at it early and get guys to take to back door,” catcher Yan Gomes said. “once you start getting those calls out there. You start trying to push the limits as much as you can. And it was a great pitch for him today.”

Through nine starts, Assad has yet to give up more than two runs in a game. He’s the first Cubs pitcher to have such a streak to begin a season since Mordecai Brown (11 starts) in 1908, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

‘‘He’s pitching at an elite level, really,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘I mean, this is just exceptional what he’s doing.’’

The offense put together a three-run first inning and continued to tack on insurance runs as the game progressed.

Mike Tauchman and Seiya Suzuki provided the power, each hammering solo home runs. But the Cubs got contributions from all over the lineup.

‘‘[Tauchman’s leadoff homer] gave us all courage and obviously inspired us and motivated us to get into our at-bats,’’ Suzuki said through an interpreter. ‘‘Obviously the [Braves’] starting pitcher, Charlie Morton, is a really good pitcher. And to hit a leadoff home on the first pitch, props to Tauchman. I’m really appreciative of him.’’

Madrigal went 3-for-4. Mastrobuoni logged a hit and two walks and made a sliding grab at the edge of the grass in the fifth, hurling the ball across the diamond to first baseman Michael Busch, who made the tag off the base to retire Orlando Arcia.

‘‘That was a wonderful play,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘And you know what Mastro has done the last two days [is] not that easy. He’s made multiple plus plays. [He] hasn’t played there much at all this year, and to step right in and give us great defense, on base three times today, a job well done.’’

The middle-infield duo of Mastrobuoni and Madrigal shared an embrace after the game before stacking up one after another to form the handshake line to celebrate the victory.

“It’s an important series this week – especially tonight, it’s a big game,” Madrigal said Wednesday afternoon. “And we’ve got to play as a team and try to pick up those [injured] guys.”