On Sunday, the Chicago Cubs dropped Game Three of their home series against the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 3-1. Despite an excellent effort from their pitching staff, the Cubs were not able to generate much offense.
This game was played in front of a national audience on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Both the Cubs and Phillies turned the clock back to a time in Major League Baseball when starting pitching was the main attraction. On a night when the wind at Wrigley Field was unpredictable, runs were at a premium.
An old-fashioned pitcher’s duel
Jameson Taillon was excellent for the Cubs in this game. He tossed seven innings of one-run ball against a dangerous Phillies lineup. He relied on a fantastic Cubs defense with his pitch-to-contact approach. While he struck out just two batters, he didn’t allow a single walk and generated plenty of weak contact.
Taillon has been superb this season for Chicago. After a rough first start against the Diamondbacks, the veteran pitcher has pulled himself together to be the stable member of the rotation that the Cubs desperately need. In his last three starts, he has allowed just four total runs in his 17.1 innings of work. That will play.
Phillies Ace Aaron Nola was also sensational on the other side of the dugout. He posted a very similar statline to Taillon, seven innings, no runs, and just one walk. His lone run surrendered was via a Pete Crow-Armstrong double that was rocketed to center field. However, this came after a Nico Hoerner blop single that likely should have been caught by the Phillies defense. While it wasn’t an error, it was a huge break for the Cubs, which allowed them to get on the board.
Extra innings once again for the Cubs
This game would remain relatively uneventful as both bullpens would do their job to keep it a tie game heading into extra innings.
But in the top of the tenth, the Cubs’ bullpen woes struck again. To begin extras, Cubs manager Craig Counsell deployed Julian Merryweather. He had been good for the Cubs this season with a 1.74 ERA. But in this one, his command would be all over the place as he would walk three batters and allow a hit to score the Phillies’ two runs.
The hit was on a Trea Turner infield single on a ground ball hit to third baseman Vidal Brujan. Turner was excellent in this game. He led the team with three of their six hits and the game-winning RBI.
Unfortunately, the Cubs could not generate any offense in the bottom half of the frame, and they lost 3-1.
While the Cubs surely would’ve loved to win this series against the Phillies, there is some overwhelming good news for Chicago: The Gauntlet is over.
After having the toughest schedule in Major League Baseball, the Cubs now get to play against the easiest strength of schedule remaining.
Making it out of this tough early stretch at 17-12 should give Cubs fans plenty of hope that this team can be a contender this season.
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