(Photo credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)

Despite losing his four starts last month, Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider has something to build on heading into his next outing on Monday afternoon at the Chicago Cubs.

That's because Strider (5-12, 4.95 ERA) is coming off his best start of the season on Aug. 25, holding the host Miami Marlins to one run and three hits over seven innings.

He departed with the Braves trailing 1-0 and they couldn't draw even before losing 2-1 to drop Strider to 0-4 in August.

'That was a lot better,' Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Strider's last outing. 'It was really good. Fastball played better.'

Even with that effort, Strider's ERA finished with a 10.13 ERA for the month. Getting through seven innings, however, was definitely a positive sign.

'I think I did a lot of things well, based on the plan and work that we talked about coming into the start,' Strider said. 'But there were still some things that, ironically, ended up beating me.'

Strider was limited to just two starts last season because of elbow surgery. Prior to the injury, he led the MLB in strikeouts with 281 in his All-Star season of 2023, after recording 202 strikeouts as a rookie in 2022.

Strider recently visited a baseball lab in Atlanta, one used by a number of players during the offseason.

'Trying to understand how to move in an optimal way in the short term between starts is tough, but it's something I have to do,' Strider said. 'If I can't throw my fastball in the strike zone, that's a problem. (With vertical movement), I can turn some of those fastballs in the zone, even if I miss location, into foul balls, like they had been previously in my career.'

Strider has never faced the Cubs before.

Chicago is coming off a 6-5 walk-off loss to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, spoiling its chance at a sweep and ending the nine-game road trip with a 5-4 mark.

The Cubs enter September atop the wild-card race but 6 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central.

'We've put ourselves in a good position here,' Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. 'We have a lead in the wild card and we want to go after the division. You have to take it one day at a time. As cliche as it sounds, we can't think of the end of September right now, we have to go play this series at home and then go from there.'

The Cubs plan to start veteran right-hander Colin Rea in the opener of the three-game series.

Rea (10-6, 4.23) took the loss against the host San Francisco Giants last Wednesday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in the 12-3 loss.

'I feel good physically, just got to make better pitches,' he said.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Rea didn't have his usual command. As an example, Counsell pointed to the leadoff walk to San Francisco's No. 9 hitter Andrew Knizner in the third inning with the Cubs leading 3-1. Heliot Ramos followed with a single and Rafael Devers a ground-rule double before back-to-back sacrifice flies gave the Giants the lead for good.

'He just wasn't sharp,' Counsell said.

Rea has made five starts against the Braves in his career and is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA, 32 strikeouts and eight walks in 30 innings.

--Field Level Media