Nola struggles, but offense carries Phillies in win over Cubs
Final: Phillies 8, Cubs 5
Philadelphia’s offense jumped all over former Phillie Drew Smyly on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, taking a convincing lead early on that was never quite in question.
Fueled by a five-run second inning against the Cubs starter, the Phillies provided enough cushion to account for an uneven night from right-hander Aaron Nola. Nick Castellanos and Josh Harrison led the charge, each logging two hits with a home run, to lead Philadelphia to an 8-5 victory and earn a series win over the Cubs.
The Phillies (42-37) will have a chance to go for the sweep in the finale of a three-game set in Chicago on Thursday.
The left-hander Smyly was hit hard in the top of the second inning, allowing five runs on just two impactful swings of the bat. Edmundo Sosa opened the scoring with a two-run home run, and the former Cub Castellanos golfed a three-run shot to left field to put the Phillies up 5-0.
Smyly allowed two more in the fourth inning as Castellanos added an RBI double and Bryce Harper drove in a run with a single. Harrison homered in the fifth off Hayden Wesneski to give the Phillies their eighth run.
On the mound for the Phillies, Nola struggled, allowing seven hits and four earned runs over five innings. He gave up a homer to Jared Young in the bottom of the third inning before Dansby Swanson took him deep in the fourth.
Nola ran into more trouble in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with no outs to start the inning. But he limited the damage as he allowed only two additional runs on a walk and an RBI groundout.
Left-hander Matt Strahm came out of the bullpen for the Phillies and tossed two scoreless innings. Yunior Marte handled the eighth inning, and José Alvarado entered for the ninth with a four-run cushion. Alvarado struggled with his control a bit, allowing a run to score on a wild pitch, but ultimately preserved the lead and the win.
Shibe Vintage Sports Notes
- Young’s home run off Nola in the third inning was the first of his major-league career.
- Harrison now has two home runs this season, both of which came in the city of Chicago. His first of the year happened on April 18 against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Thursday, June 29 vs. Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field
- 8:05 p.m. Eastern
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network
- Radio: SportsRadio 94WIP
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