Final Score: Phillies 15, Cubs 10
Cathartic would be the best word to describe the first two innings of Tuesday night’s Phillies-Cubs game. Phillies hitters lit up their former teammate Jake Arrieta, scoring seven runs with four of them coming on an Andrew McCutchen grand slam in the first inning.
The Phillies finally found a way to sustain the momentum they had after a 13-3 win in the opener. They also clobbered a former Phils starting pitcher who epitomizes the many poor decisions the team’s front office made in free agency over the past several seasons. Is that fair to Arrieta? Probably not, but even he would say that his time in Philadelphia didn’t go as well as both sides imagined.
The pitching for the Phillies wasn’t exactly up to par. Starter Aaron Nola was just OK through six innings, which isn’t a great sign for a Phillies team that needs him to pitch like the top-of-the-rotation starter he has been over the past several seasons. Bailey Falter allowed five runs in his first overtly ugly big league outing. Enyel De Los Santos allowed a home run in an inning of work.
The Phillies will go for their first four-game road series win since 2017 on Wednesday night. Their ace Zack Wheeler will presumably take the mound for the final time before his first-career All-Star Game appearance.
Top Plays
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Jake Arrieta: 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 55 pitches
The Phillies needed to get some runs off Arrieta, who has been one of the worst qualified pitchers in baseball. He’s gone only an inning and a two thirds in back-to-back starts and is in danger of losing his spot on the Cubs roster. As Phillies fans know, Arrieta lacks the sharpness and deception he had in his first stint with the Cubs. Phillies hitters were all over his sinker, slider and changeup.
Aaron Nola: 6 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR, 100 pitches
With a big lead early on, Tuesday night’s outing was a chance for Nola to get right. He had a 6.00 ERA in the month of June and while July is usually the time in which Nola hits his stride, the 28-year-old still didn’t look as sharp. He gave up three runs in the third, retired eight straight from the third through fifth innings and was crushed on a mistake pitch to Báez in the sixth. While he racked up eight strikeouts, he’s struggling with consistently locating his pitches.
Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Jean Segura
Much of the Phillies starting lineup is getting snubbed here, but it’s important to highlight how much the Phillies have lacked consistent production from the leadoff spot. They came into Tuesday’s game ranking 29th in OPS from their leadoff hitters this season. Segura went 4-for-6 with a double, three singles and two RBIs. Joe Girardi plans to sit Odúbel Herrera until Thursday to give him a couple days off his feet, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. When he comes back, Herrera might not be hitting first if Segura proves that he’s a fit in the all-important leadoff spot.
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