The Chicago Cubs may be sitting in an NL Wild Card spot heading into their Monday night clash against the Atlanta Braves, but they are far from safe in their bid to make it to the postseason. Thus, every win matters — especially against tough opposition like the Braves.

On Monday, the Cubs bagged a 7-3 victory at home over the Braves in the first of a three-game series. They moved to 84-67 on the season and putting them four games clear of the Arizona Diamondbacks (the team in fourth place in a three-team Wild Card race) with 11 games to go in the regular season.

While plenty of individuals deserve credit for this latest win for the Cubs, starting pitcher David Peterson is one of those who deserve the most. After all, despite enduring his fair share of struggles in 2026 (5.28 ERA in 2026 entering Monday night), he threw six innings of one run ball on Monday, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

For Peterson, he credited manager Craig Counsell for his attention to detail and his preparedness behind the scenes which has then played a huge role in making sure that the entire Cubs team is locked in for the stretch run.

“It starts with (Counsell) and the preparedness that he has, the selflessness that he has … And I think that trickles down. It trickles down to the coaching staff and I think it trickles down to us,” Peterson told reporters after the game, via Marquee Sports on X.

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Indeed, the manager holds the most influential voice in the locker room, so being in command of the team is a testament to the leadership qualities a manager has. Clearly, based on how the Cubs players talk about him, Counsell has that in spades.

Now, all that's left for the Cubs is to hold on for dear life to a Wild Card spot, as they are behind the Milwaukee Brewers by 9.5 games in the NL Central standings — an insurmountable deficit with 11 games remaining in their season.