Stroman, Gomes' Late Double Give Chicago Cubs Win Over Phillies

The Chicago Cubs picked up a series-opening victory behind a strong start from Marcus Stroman and some timely hitting.

Author:
Payton Havermann
Publish date:
Sep 28, 2022 10:00 AM EDT

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Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs opened up a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday with a tough task in front of them as Philadelphia sent Zack Wheeler to the mound to face the red-hot Marcus Stroman.

The Phillies were looking to further stave off the Milwaukee Brewers, entering the day with a 1.5-game lead over Milwaukee for the final National League wild-card spot.

As expected, the game turned into a rock fight quickly, with neither side getting much of a rally going early. The Cubs were able to strike first in the third inning on a Christopher Morel solo home run, the utility man's 15th of the season.

But, Stroman and Wheeler continued to deal, neither side having multiple baserunners in a frame through five innings.

Philadelphia finally scratched across a run in the sixth when Bryce Harper smacked a two-out double to center that scored Bryson Stott to even the game up at one. Stroman retired catcher JT Realmuto to limit the damage.

The Cubs nearly got the run right back in the bottom of the sixth when a Zach McKinstry walk, and an Esteban Quiroz single put runners on the corners with one out. However, Wheeler didn't falter, inducing an inning-ending double play from a returning Willson Contreras to end the threat and Wheeler's evening.

Wheeler finished the day with six innings pitched, one run allowed, five strikeouts, one walk, and five hits allowed, lowering his ERA to 2.92.

Not to be outdone, Stroman worked around a hit batsman to pitch a scoreless seventh, ending his evening as well. The Duke product finished with seven innings pitched, just one run allowed on four hits and a walk, and six strikeouts. The righty has been on a roll over his last handful of starts and allowed just one run or less in three of his September outings.

Chicago's offense rewarded Stroman's efforts in the bottom of the seventh. Facing Phillies reliever Connor Brogdon, Ian Happ led off the frame with an infield single and advanced to second on a Patrick Wisdom groundout before Yan Gomes laced a two-out double to right to score Happ and give the Cubs a 2-1 lead, and put Stroman in line for his fifth win of the year.

After a scoreless eighth from Cubs reliever Brandon Hughes and Chicago's offense, the Cubs sent Hughes back to the mound to start the ninth, with the Phillies looking to pick up a big win to aid in their playoff chase.

After Harper ripped a single on the first pitch of the inning, Cubs manager David Ross called upon Manuel Rodriguez to close the game. Realmuto promptly swung at the first pitch he was given, grounding into a fielder's choice that got Harper thrown out at second, bringing Alec Bohm to the plate with one out.

Bohm also swung at the first pitch he saw, grounding into a game-ending double play, and completing a bizarre three-pitch ninth inning. Rodriguez got all three outs on just two pitches, securing the 2-1 victory, picking up his third save of the year, and moving Chicago to 4-0 against Philadelphia this season.

The Cubs are now 33-29 since the all-star break amidst the departure of their four top relievers at the trade deadline and injuries to top players like Willson Contreras. This has been a crucial stretch as Chicago continues to build momentum and identify pieces to keep going into an offseason in which the team is speculated to be among the top spenders in an effort to get back into postseason contention.

The Cubs and Phillies will face off in game two of the series at 6:40 p.m. CDT at Wrigley Field. The Phillies will have Aaron Nola (10-12, 3.28 ERA) on the mound to face rookie Hayden Wesneski (2-1, 2.45 ERA).