Phillies flip the script, win big in series opener

Final Score: Phillies 13, Cubs 3

Joe Girardi’s homecoming went as well as the Philadelphia Phillies could’ve hoped. Coming off of a series win against the 50-win San Diego Padres, Philadelphia was looking to build some momentum. Didi Gregorius is finally healthy. The bullpen has looked better. July is a crucial month for this ballclub and tonight, they took advantage of a struggling Chicago Cubs team for a 13-3 win.

Make it ten straight in the loss column for Chicago. The fans in Wrigley certainly expect better from this team. For the Phillies, this series could be just what they need to get hot before they head into the All-Star break.

Matt Moore was not on point, but he kept the Phillies in the game. Andrew Knapp and Didi Gregorius picked him up with game-tying solo home runs in the third and fourth innings. The story of the season has been the Phillies’ late-game struggles. Tonight, timely hitting from Andrew McCutchen and Rhys Hoskins in the sixth inning gave the Phillies the lead before they broke this one open in the top of the eighth. That combined with another clean bullpen performance propelled them to a victory.

Tommorow night, the Phillies will look to secure at least a series tie in this four game set with Aaron Nola on the mound. He will face off against former Phillie Jake Arrieta who has struggled mightily in his first season back in Wrigleyville.

Top Plays

• Matt Moore did not pay for his mistakes in the first inning but left a fastball a little too far over the plate in the second inning. Jake Marisnick took it for a 416-foot ride to center field. That is the first earned run Moore has allowed in the second inning of any game this season.

• No doubt about it. Andrew Knapp did not miss this changeup. This one went 402 feet to right field to tie it up 1-1. It was the backup catcher’s first home run since the opening series on April 4.

• Javier Baez hit an RBI double on a rope to right-center field to put the Cubs back on top 2-1. He came into this game with a .326 average, five home runs, and 14 RBIs in 26 career games against the Phillies.
• Just like that, the Phillies tied again. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Didi Gregorius reached down and golfed a four-bagger to right-center field. It was his second home run in four games since his return.

• With a runner on second, Wilson Contreras got jammed by a cutter from Moore but Jean Segura had trouble fielding it cleanly at second. Fortunately for Segura, Nico Hoerner made a poor decision and was thrown out at home to end the fourth inning.
• Following a replay review, Alec Bohm’s foul ball was overturned for a leadoff double in the top of the fifth. He now has a hit or walk in six of his last seven games.
• Cubs manager David Ross was ejected for arguing the fourth ball on Bryce Harper’s walk in the top of the sixth inning.
• Andrew McCutchen gave the Phillies the lead with his second double of the game in the top of the sixth as Harper sped from first to home. Rhys Hoskins then lined a curveball into center field to score McCutchen and extend the lead to 4-2.
• Connor Brogdon’s cat-like reflexes were on display as he reeled in a liner in the bottom of the sixth inning for the second out. He threw two scoreless innings in relief without allowing a baserunner.
• The Phillies capitalized with the bases loaded and got some insurance in the eighth inning. After the Cubs walked in a run and surrendered two more on an error, Odubel Herrera broke this game open with a laser over the fence in left-center field. HIs two-out home run gave the Phillies a 10-2 lead.

• Hoskins piled it on with a moonshot off of position player Eric Sogard in the top of the ninth. He leads the Phillies with 19 home runs and 49 RBIs this year. Bohm added on with his first home run since May.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Zach Davies: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 75 pitches

Just a couple of weeks ago, Davies pitched six innings in the Cubs combined no-hitter. Since then things have not gone as planned for Chicago. Davies, who was just one inning away from a quality start, kept them in this one despite some mistakes. While he gave up two big flies, he also induced a lot of ground ball outs — six of them to be exact. Somehow, Gregorius still got a hold of a changeup below the strike zone which wasn’t that bad of a pitch. Ultimately, the Cubs, like the Phillies, decided that it was still best to go to the bullpen a bit earlier.

Matt Moore: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 74 pitches

Moore struggled with command for most of the day but didn’t make too many mistakes in the zone minus the Marisnick home run and Baez double. In the first inning, he found his way out of a jam which was the story of his outing. The Cubs were 0-for-5 with three strikeouts with runners in scoring position when facing Moore. The changeup and curveball were his saving grace in do or die situations. The Phillies had to pinch-hit for him in the top of the fitfh with runners in scoring position which shortened his outing. His pitch count was climbing which might have also been a reason for his early exit.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Andrew McCutchen

There was plenty of concern after McCutchen left the series finale against the San Diego Padres with an oblique injury as a precautionary move. It’s safe to say he is OK as he had three hits in four trips to the plate. He came into this game with a career .317/.422/.502 line in 81 games at Wrigley Field. The Phillies left fielder put himself in scoring position twice with a pair of doubles, one of which gave Philadelphia the lead. If the Phillies are going to close the gap in the NL East, McCutchen is going to have to be a big part of it. For a team that still has plenty of youth, he is one of the few faces on the roster who knows what it takes to get to the postseason.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Tuesday, July 6 vs. Chicago Cubs at 8:05 pm ET
• Wrigley Field
• NBC Sports Philadelphia
• 94 WIP

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