Phillies Mauled by Cubs in Homestand Finale
6. 8. 9. Final. 1
The Philadelphia Phillies dropped the finale of their 10-game homestand at Citizens Bank Park to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon.
In dropping an 8-1 decision to the visiting juggernaut known as the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies now hope that a ballgame is all that they lost.
Talented second-year starting pitcher Vincent Velasquez was pulled from the mound after delivering just two pitches in the top of the 1st inning.
A few innings later it was announced by the team that Velasquez was suffering from “right bicep soreness”, which basically means that his pitching arm is hurting him.
Further information should be coming on Thursday, but this is not good news. Velasquez has been slowly but steadily losing velocity on his pitches over the last few weeks. He already has one Tommy John surgery under his belt, as a 20-year old prior to the 2011 season.
Turning in an emergency to lefty Brett Oberholtzer, manager Pete Mackanin saw his reliever keep the game even into the top of the 5th before the Cubs finally got on the scoreboard when Javier Baez found just enough room between short and 3rd to roll a two-out RBI single.
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With the score 1-0 and Oberholtzer having more than done his job, tossing four innings over which he allowed just the lone run on four hits and one walk, Mackanin turned the ball over to Andrew Bailey.
The local product righty was unable to deliver on the afternoon, getting himself tagged for a pair of longballs. The first came on a two-run shot by Kris Bryant, the second a solo blast by Ben Zobrist.
Bailey was followed in the 7th by Colton Murray, who got through one frame fine, but was then tagged for the Cubs’ final four runs of the day in the top of the 8th inning.
Anthony Rizzo doubled to score Bryant, who had led off the inning with a base hit. New promotee Albert Almora, the first rookie to see action all season with the Cubs, then got credit for his first career hit when he banged a ball off Murray’s glove. As it rolled away for the rook’s first knock, Rizzo scampered home with the run that made it a 6-0 Chicago lead.
Following a walk and a wild pitch, Baez then delivered his fourth hit of the game, a two-run single to center field that upped the lead to 8-0 for the visitors.
The Phillies would scratch out their lone run of the afternoon in the bottom of the 9th when pinch-hitter Tommy Joseph drew a leadoff walk, moved to 2nd on a passed ball, to 3rd on a ground out, and then scored on a second ground out.
The club will now have an off-day on Thursday as they try to regroup from this horrific 3-7 homestand, the results of which have left the Phillies two games under the .500 mark and in 4th place in the NL East, seven games off the pace.
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