CHICAGO – If there was ever a time where it seemed like the Phillies’ bad luck would finally turn, Tuesday night at Wrigley Field was it.
Struggling left-hander Jesús Luzardo dealt with control issues throughout Philadelphia’s bout with the Cubs, but he still held them to just one earned run through a grueling 4 2/3-inning effort. Despite routinely finding himself stuck in jams, Luzardo was bailed out left and right by the Phillies snuffing Chicago’s rally attempts with highlight-reel defense. Kyle Schwarber even provided a spark with a sixth-inning solo blast to erase a one-run deficit.
The table was set for Philadelphia to finally bring its six-game losing skid to a halt. But on a night where the pitching staff continually played with fire, the Phillies eventually got burned while hopes of ending their funk went up in flames in a 7-4 loss.
With the score knotted at 1 in the bottom of the sixth, reliever Tanner Banks followed the theme of the night for Phillies pitching, allowing two walks and three hits. That included Michael Busch’s go-ahead two-run single that gave Chicago an edge it never gave up. The loss pushed Philadelphia to its seventh straight defeat, the club’s longest losing streak since June 16-23, 2019.
Command issues seemed to plague every Phillies pitcher who took the mound Tuesday, with the staff allowing 10 walks on the night. Luzardo, who entered the game with a 7.94 ERA due in part to the bad luck that comes with a .417 batting average allowed on balls in play, began running into trouble in the third. After getting the first out, he walked the next two batters before hitting Seiya Suzuki with a pitch.
Yet, as was the case early on, multiple Cubs scoring chances were stifled by Philadelphia's defense.
Bryce Harper made a sliding catch in foul territory that helped Luzardo navigate out of his third-inning troubles. With two outs and men at the corners in the fourth, Brandon Marsh snagged Alex Bregman’s liner on a leaping grab into the brick center-field wall.
Over and over, it seemed as though the Phillies were going to avoid paying the price for handing out so many free passes. But the Cubs were given one opportunity too many, and they eventually cashed in against Banks before breaking the game open with a pair of late homers by Nico Hoerner and Suzuki.