The Cubs had a golden opportunity to snap out of their offensive funk, but one hit—and one swing—simply wasn’t enough. In the series opener against the Braves in Atlanta, Chicago fell 5-2, a game that started with promise but quickly unraveled.

For a few innings, it looked like the Cubs might steal one. Colin Rea and Braves starter Grant Holmes traded zeroes through the first two frames. Atlanta struck first in the third on an RBI single from Mike Yastrzemski, but Chicago answered in the fourth. Alex Bregman, who had been in a bit of a power drought, launched his fourth homer of the season to tie the game—a much-needed jolt for a lineup that had gone 23 straight innings without scoring.

That solo shot seemed to rattle Holmes. He walked the next three batters—Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch—loading the bases with just one out. This was the moment. The Cubs had to capitalize. But instead of a big inning, they managed just one more run on a fielder’s choice from Moisés Ballesteros, who beat out a double-play relay to make it 2-1.

And that was the last time the Cubs would cross the plate. In fact, Bregman’s homer turned out to be their only hit of the night.

The lead didn’t last long. In the bottom of the fourth, Rea’s command abandoned him. Austin Riley and Yastrzemski—both hitting below .213 entering the game—each went deep. For Yastrzemski, it was his first home run of the season in over 125 plate appearances. That quick burst gave Atlanta a 4-2 advantage, and an RBI single from Matt Olson off reliever Ryan Rolison made it 5-2.

Cubs relievers Rolison, Jacob Webb, and Trent Thornton combined for 3.2 scoreless innings to keep the game within reach, but the offense simply couldn’t muster another threat. Sometimes, one hit just isn’t enough to win a ballgame—especially when the bats go cold at the worst possible time.