Phillies Tarnish Golden Opportunity, Drop Opener to Cubs

With their playoff hopes at risk, the Philadelphia Phillies missed out on a perfect opportunity to gain some ground on the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.

Author:
Alex Carr
Sep 28, 2022 11:00 AM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have had some rough Septembers in the past, but this one feels particularly languid.

As they were presented with an ideal chance to claim a game on their Wild Card rival Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies' bats came out completely and utterly flat.

They mustered just five hits in Tuesday night's loss to the Cubs, scoring a singular run on a wind-blustered Bryce Harper double.

Credit where it's due, Cubs' starter Marcus Stroman had his best on Tuesday night, carving up the Phillies' offense over seven innings, allowing a singular run on four hits. That said, Stroman hasn't exactly been the picture of consistency this season and tends to lose effectiveness the further he pitches into a game. Philadelphia had their chances.

Zack Wheeler went toe-to-toe with the sharp Stroman, tossing six strong innings of one-run baseball, and managing to do so on just 62 pitches. Were this a normal Wheeler start under normal circumstances, he likely would've gone the distance, or at least an inning-or-two extra. Unfortunately, with his slow return from injury, six innings was all he was allotted.

Both pitchers gave up a lone run through the first six frames. Wheeler's came on a solo shot by Cubs' center fielder Christopher Morel, while Stroman's came on the aforementioned Harper double.

However, naturally, directly after Wheeler was tugged from the game, the Phillies bullpen would relinquish the tied score. Yan Gomes doubled to right field on a ball that probably should have been caught, and the Phillies' loss was cemented by a score of 2-1.

Overall, it was a disappointing night for Phillies fans everywhere, and yet, their magic number still fell to seven games with the Brewers dropping their opener versus the Cardinals.

The Phillies have the pitching advantage in both of these next two games versus Chicago, and they'll face the team they've had the most success against this season in the Washington Nationals directly after.

Things feel dismal, but the reality is that if the Phillies are going to clinch a playoff berth, this next six game stretch is where they'll do it. Buckle up.