Phillies Opposition Roadblock: Chicago Cubs

The Phillies had a ton of momentum heading into the Dodger series. However, they were swept out of LA over the weekend after a disastrous Saturday night ninth inning. While they are hoping for a bounce back series, the task will be difficult against the defending World Champion, Chicago Cubs.

Well, it could have gone better. I do not need to explain how because that would insult the intelligence of the people reading this article. I have never seen a team that has won six in a row look as incompetent in the many phases of the game the Phillies did this past weekend in LA.

Corey Seager did not impact the Phillies the way that Justin Turner did or even the likes of Andrew Toles. The Phils did everything they could to turn Toles into a future Hall of Famer. Still, Seager had a quietly solid weekend. He only played the first two games but found a way to leave an impact on the game. He was 2-6 with three walks and two runs scored in those two games.

Phils Grade: B

The Phillies actually handed Brandon McCarthy his shortest, least effective start of the season. He went through five innings, allowing eight hits (one of them a three-run homer off the bat of Brock Stassi) while walking one and striking out three. The Phillies would add another run off the bat of Andrew Knapp against the LA bullpen giving them what most thought to be an insurmountable three-run lead. Then, Hector Neris imploded and McCarthy escaped with a no-decision, while his team caught their third consecutive win.

Phils Grade: A-