The Philadelphia Phillies turned things around on Saturday as they demolished the Chicago Cubs, 12-3. Aaron Nola mowed down the Cubs lineup as he tossed seven innings and struck out ten batters while allowing two earned runs— on a Dansby Swanson two-run home run. The offense came out of the gates hot as Kyle Schwarber hit a grand slam in the first inning, followed by a Kody Clemens two-run shot to right-center field. The club would go on to put six more runs on the board throughout the remainder of the game.
SCHWARSLAM pic.twitter.com/rbCTSmJk4X
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 20, 2023
The Phillies and Cubs will face off in the series rubber match on Sunday. Taijuan Walker (3-2, 6.53 ERA) will take the mound for the Phillies on short rest after throwing just 40 pitches in his last start. Walker will be opposed by Justin Steele (6-1, 2.44 ERA) of the Chicago Cubs.
Phillies News
The Phillies claimed veteran right-handed pitcher Dylan Covey from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. Covey pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 2017-2022, then pitched in China for the past two seasons. The 31-year-old has a career ERA of 6.54. Covey could make his Phillies debut on Tuesday as the club looks to fill the fifth starter role.
Trea Turner had the day off on Saturday as he has struggled on both sides of the field. Turner has been ineffective at the plate in big spots this season and has had some defensive miscues of late. Turner had stated earlier in the season that he prefers to play through his slumps, however, Rob Thomson opted to give him a day to reset. Thomson had this to say about sitting his shortstop:
"Just to give him a little break. He can do some work with [hitting coach] Kevin [Long] in the cage. We were supposed to do it on the field, but [he’ll] just get some extra work, take a day."via Tim Kelly/Phillies Nation
It is likely that Turner will be back in the lineup on Sunday.
MLB News
The Toronto Blue Jays ran into a precarious situation on Saturday as manager John Schneider was forced to remove starting pitcher Alek Manoah from the game due to too many mound visits. Schneider admitted that he was at fault when he visited the mound to talk with his pitcher for the second time. As per MLB rules, a pitcher must be removed from the game after two mound visits in the same inning.
Boston Red Sox starter Chris Sale is showing glimpses of returning to his previous form. Sale— who is a seven-time All-Star— has had an injury plagued few years. From 2010-2018 Sale was one of the elite left-handed pitchers in baseball but has had shortened seasons in 2021 and 2022 due to his health. He is currently coming off of four straight quality starts and handled the potent San Diego Padres' offense with ease on Saturday as he pitched seven innings while allowing two runs on three hits and striking out eight batters.