Categories: 2021 Postgame Recaps

Lifeless Phillies fall back to .500 with loss to Cubs

Joe Girardi’s Phillies lost Tuesday evening. (Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)

Final: Cubs 6, Phillies 3

You couldn’t have asked for a better start: Odúbel Herrera led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, and Kyle Gibson didn’t allow a hit from Chicago Cubs batters through the first four innings of the game.

And yet, against a team that is over a month removed from trading three franchise icons — Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez — the Philadelphia Phillies were unable to capitalize off some early momentum Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Herrera’s home run was an absolute blast, a 431-foot home run off of Cubs starter Adrian Sampson, which landed on the right field concourse:

But if you thought Herrera homering on the second pitch that Phillies batters saw meant that the team was going to have a laugher against a team that’s played under .400 since the All-Star Break, you were wrong.

Willson Contreras led off the top of the fifth inning with a single that got the Cubs into the hits column. Patrick Wisdom then proceeded to give the Cubs the lead with a 447-foot bomb over the wall in left-center field:

Cubs right fielder Alfonso Rivas followed with the first home run of his major league career:

Before the inning was out, Rafael Ortega doubled into left field, plating a fourth run in what turned out to be Gibson’s final inning of work.

To their credit, the Phillies were able to cut into the Cubs lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, with Bryce Harper legging out an RBI double that plated Jean Segura:

Later in the inning, Didi Gregorius brought the Phillies to within one run with an RBI single that Harper scored on:

Quickly, though, the Phillies gave the runs right back to the Cubs.

Nick Martini — who spent 2020 in the Phillies organization — doubled off of Sam Coonrod in the top of the seventh, and was driven in by another double, this one off the bat of Frank Schwindel. After Ian Happ doubled in Schwindel, Joe Girardi pulled Coonrod in favor of Cam Bedrosian, but the damage was already done, as the Cubs increased their lead to 6-3.

The Cubs would win the game by a score of 6-3, with the Phillies managing just five hits after Herrera’s leadoff home run.

By losing Tuesday, the Phillies fall back to .500 at 72-72. With 18 games remaining, a playoff push feels pretty unlikely, though it remains mathematically plausible. But losing four out of their last five games to teams long out of the playoff hunt makes you wonder if the Phillies will even be able to finish with a winning record, something they haven’t done since 2011.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Adrian Sampson limited the Phillies to four hits and two runs in five plus innings Tuesday night. The 29-year-old righty allowed five hits and two walks, while striking out three.
Kyle Gibson allowed five hits and four runs over five frames, with all coming in his final inning of work. Gibson has a 3.49 ERA on the season, but now a 4.85 ERA since being acquired by the Phillies.

Phillies Nugget Of The Game

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