CHICAGO -- A long, odd night turned into a frustrating early morning for a Chicago Cubs team that appears to have lost its swagger.Nick Markakis homered twice, including a tying solo shot in the ninth inning, and Tyler Flowers two-out single in the 11th early Friday morning gave the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 victory.A tough game, catcher Willson Contreras said in a nearly silent clubhouse after Chicagos 13th loss in 18 games.Contreras two-run triple in a three-run eighth inning put the Cubs up 3-2. But closer Hector Rondon blew his fourth save when he gave up the second homer to Markakis to lead off the ninth, Atlantas first hit since the second inning.Flowers then singled to right off Spencer Patton (1-1), and Freddie Freeman, who walked, barely beat Ben Zobrists throw home.Dario Alvarez (3-1) worked a perfect 10th before giving up consecutive singles to Contreras and Jason Heyward to lead off the 11th.Mauricio Cabrera came in and got his second save by getting Addison Russell to ground into a double play before Jeimer Candelario flied to center as the last-place Braves snapped a four-game skid.It was big to get a win, especially against a ball club like that, in ballpark like this, Markakis said.After starting 25-6, the Cubs have gone 27-27. Their three-game skid and losses in seven of eight games have dropped them a game behind San Francisco for the best record in the major leagues.It happens to everybody, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of his teams woes. For anybody out there who believes it doesnt happen to every team, youre wrong.Tensions boiled after Markakis fourth homer in the ninth. After Rondon struck out Adonis Garcia, Rondon threw an inside fastball to Jeff Francoeur. He and Contreras started jawing, and the benches and bullpens emptied. There was only some pushing and no ejections.I called a fastball in and he didnt appreciate that, Contreras said. After that he started talking to me and I stood in front of him.Before that, Cubs slugger Kris Bryant was twice hit by Lucas Harrell, one on a curveball, and Hunter Cervenka plunked Anthony Rizzo. Bryant didnt return to the field with stiffness in his left leg after his second hit by pitch.Markakis put Atlanta ahead with a two-run homer in the first off Jason Hammel. The right-hander settled down to retire 11 straight before he was lifted with cramping in his thumb on the humid night after a four-pitch walk to Gordon Beckham.Its annoying, said Hammel, who said he had the issue one other time in his career. For a thumb to pull me out of a game, it ticks me off.After Lucas Harrell threw 7 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in his second straight impressive start, the Braves bullpen gave up the lead.Cervenka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist. Then Jim Johnson entered and the rookie Contreras hit a sinking liner to center that got by Ender Inciarte and scored two runs.But the Cubs couldnt bust out of a slump in the makeup of an April 30 rainout that was delayed 1 hour, 35 minutes by rain and included a scary pregame incident.A man was carted off Wrigley Field and hospitalized after he slipped and fell to the warning track while attempting to jump from the bleachers before the game. The Cubs didnt identify the man and didnt provide his condition.TRAINERS ROOMBraves: RHP Julio Teheran, Atlantas lone All-Star, returned to the team after being treated for an infection due to ingrown hair on his right thigh. Teheran thinks hell start Saturday. I threw a bullpen today and I feel pretty good, he said. ... Beckham (hamstring) started at shortstop and went 0 for 4 after being activated off the disabled list before the game. Emilio Bonifacio was designated for assignment.Cubs: CF Dexter Fowler (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment Friday as the DH for Class A South Bend. Maddon said Fowler will play in the field Saturday, then theyll determine whether hell be activated so he can play in his first All-Star Game.HENDRICKS RELIEVESNot scheduled to start before the All-Star break, Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks made his first career relief appearance in the sixth. He walked one in two hitless innings.UP NEXTBraves: RHP Matt Wisler (3-8, 4.16 ERA) goes up against White Sox ace Chris Sale (14-2, 2.93) on Friday night.Cubs: RHP Jake Arrieta (12-3, 2.33) starts Friday night in the opener of a division series at surging Pittsburgh and LHP Francisco Liriano (5-8, 5.34). Custom Jerseys Clearance . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Cheap Custom Jerseys . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. http://www.hockeyjerseyscustom.com/ . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys China . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys Cheap . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Martha Karolyi doesnt know who will replace her as national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics when she officially steps down later this month.She does, however, have a message: Dont get cute.The program is already built, Karolyi said. I just really hope that they dont try to fix a program which proved itself and right now really shows that its the highest level program in the world.Its hard to argue with the results. The Final Five -- a name chosen by Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian to honor Karolyi as she heads to retirement -- will return to the U.S. following the Olympic closing ceremony with nine medals, including a second straight team gold and a record-tying four for Biles. No other country earned half that total. The Americans medaled in every event and placed the maximum two competitors in every final except for vault, which Biles captured with remarkable ease.At this point, even the U.S.s closest competition is willing to admit that right now, there are the Americans and there is everyone else.When I competed I realized I didnt have chance to win gold medal or silver medal but it was so pleasant for me, said Russian star Aliya Mustafina, who finished third in the all-around behind Biles and Aly Raisman.The gap appears to be widening. The U.S. has won every major international competition since 2011, a combination of the fruits of the semi-centralized system Karolyi perfected when she took over in 2001 and inability of traditional powers like Russia and Romania to consistently develop the talent necessary to keep pace. The Romanians failed to even make the games, a startling fall for a country that had finished on the podium in the team competition in every Olympics since 1972.The Russian were a staggering 8 points behind the Americans in the team final. The gap between second and eighth-place Brazil was half that.I think that its true to say that we could have fielded two teams here and they would have gone first and second, Olympic coach Aimee Boorman said. Maybe first, second, third or fourth if we threw in a third team.Its not hype. The three Olymppic alternates included MyKayla Skinner and Ragan Smith -- both of whom finished ahead of Douglas and Kocian at Olympic Trials.dddddddddddd. Maggie Nichols, a member of the 2015 world championship team, would have been in the mix if not for a knee injury in the spring that slowed her training. Ashton Locklear, the other alternate, might be the best bars specialist in the world not named Kocian or Mustafina.Karolyi exits with the Americans bursting at the seams in talent, even if Biles, Raisman and Douglas never compete again. All three plan to take extended breaks before making any sort of firm decision. Hernandez, who turned 16 in June, is primed to fill the void left by their absence, with plenty of company to come along for the ride.USA Gymnastics is purchasing the training center at the Karolyi Ranch from Martha and husband Bela next week. While president Steve Penny told The Associated Press before the games the search for her replacement is still in its early stages, the most obvious choice would be Valeri Liukin. A two-time Olympic gold medalist for Russia and the father of 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin, hes spent the last four years as the elite program development coordinator. Liukin is already familiar with the group pointing toward the 2020 Tokyo Games and well-versed in the system Karolyi so carefully constructed.Mihai Brestyan, Raismans longtime coach, has spent more than four decades coaching with Karolyi and has expressed interest in continuing Karolyis legacy.It looks like our way is the best and this is the result, Brestyan said. And its going higher and higher. Were going farther and farther. Right now it looks like weve run away from everybody else.Whoever takes over will inherit a program at the peak of its power after two dizzying weeks in Rio de Janeiro.Theres always somebody in the USA Gymnastics system to step in and step up for the team, she said, later adding, Nobody thought they will see Simone Biles. You probably will see someone like this or greater in the future. 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