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Lifeless Philadelphia Phillies Swept by Chicago Cubs to Open Second Half

The Philadelphia Phillies were outscored 25 to 7 this weekend by the rebuilding Chicago Cubs.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Jul 24, 2022 3:07 PM EDT

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This isn't how the Philadelphia Phillies wanted to start off the second half.

After sweeping the Miami Marlins before the All-Star break, the Phillies were swept by the meager Chicago Cubs. They were outscored 25 to 7. They are now just three games above .500 and losing ground in the Wild Card race.

The game started off as a pitchers duel, as neither team was able to get runner on base for the first two innings. Unfortunately, things started to unravel for Bailey Falter in the third.

Yan Gomes crushed a home run to left field to kick off the inning, and a few batters later Christopher Morel doubled home Nelson Velasquez to make it a 2-0 ballgame.

Falter loaded the bases but escaped the inning without further damage. The very next inning, however, Gomes hit another long ball, and Velasquez homered two batters later.

All in all, Falter pitched five innings, allowing four runs and striking out five. It wasn't pretty, but it's really all the Phillies can expect out of their sixth starter.

Meanwhile, Smyly was dealing for Chicago. He was perfect through the first four innings, before finally allowing a baserunner with two outs in the fifth. Bryson Stott laced a double and came home to score on a single by Alec Bohm.

Smyly ran into a little more trouble in the sixth inning, when Garrett Stubbs singled on a pop up that Cubs second baseman David Bote lost in the sun. Stubbs advanced from first to third on a Schwarber ground out, smartly realizing no one was covering the hot corner as he rounded second.

Hoskins drove him in with a scorched single past shortstop Nico Hoerner, and it was a 4-2 contest.

Smyly finished the day with six inning pitched, having allowed just two runs (one earned) while striking out four. It was his best start of the season.

After Falter left the game, Nick Nelson pitched two clean innings, and Philadelphia made it a one-run game in the eighth with a solo shot off the bat of Stubbs. The backup catcher is hitting .281 on the season with an .890 OPS and four home runs in just 64 at-bats.

With two outs in the eighth, Hoskins hit his second single of the game, but Darrick Hall struck out looking to end the frame. The Phillies went into the ninth inning down by one.

Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the ninth, a sign of just how depleted the Phillies bullpen must have been after the past two games. Familia has been having a terrible season, and surely wouldn't be Rob Thomson's first choice to pitch in such a high leverage situation.

Thankfully, Familia got the job done, recording three outs without allowing any damage. Nick Castellanos, Stott, and Bohm were due up in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to walk it off.

Castellanos popped out, Stott walked, Bohm singled to to center, and Didi Gregorius flew out, bringing Stubbs to the plate with two outs and the winning run on first. Unfortunately, he was unable to come up big this time, striking out to end the game.

Simply put, the Phillies have to play better. They'll welcome the Braves to Citizens Bank Park tomorrow night as they hope to turn things around.