• March 18, 2024

Notes From The Phillies’ 5-4 Loss To Chicago

The Philadelphia Phillies lost their third straight game on Thursday afternoon, falling to the Cubs 5-4 in 13 innings. Their record drops to 12-15.

On The Mound

  • Zach Eflin was strong again, going seven innings for the third straight start and allowing three runs.
  • Eflin allowed three runs on nine hits, and struck out only one.
  • Eflin left the game with a lead, but Joaquin Benoit blew it by giving up a run in the eighth on a solo homer.
  • Jeanmar Gomez had arguably his strongest outing of the season, pitching two scoreless to keep the game tied.
  • The Phils then turned things over to Joely Rodriguez, who threw two scoreless innings and got two outs in the 13th before giving up the winning run.
  • A poor throw from Freddy Galvis missed Tommy Joseph and caused the winning run to score, handing Rodriguez his first loss of the season.

At The Plate

  • The offense managed four runs on 15 hits.
  • The team was just 3-14 with runners in scoring position.
  • Aaron Altherr continued his hot play, going 2-5 with a walk and drove in the team’s first run with an RBI-single.
  • Maikel Franco tied the game at 2-2 with a solo homer in the fourth. Franco also picked up an RBI on a groundout in the fifth. Franco finished 2-5 with a walk.
  • Cameron Rupp hit a solo homer, his second of the season, to give the team a brief late lead in the eighth. Rupp finished 3-6.
  • Cesar Hernandez picked up four hits in seven at-bats, all went for singles.
  • Odubel Herrera returned to the three-hole, and went 2-7 with a double.
  • Michael Saunders went 0-4 with two walks.
  • Tommy Joseph went 1-3 with a double.

Final Thoughts

Another painful loss in a nightmare of a road trip.

Zach Eflin’s latest seven-inning gem went for not, as the bullpen blew another late lead.

The backend of the bullpen is really concerning right now. Joaquin Benoit and Hector Neris have both been struggling in the eighth and ninth inning roles. The team has had a revolving door at the positions all throughout the season, and it may continue to swing.

I still can’t fault the bullpen completely because the offense just doesn’t give them a lot of breathing room. This lineup rarely scores more than four runs. I’d like to see Pete Mackanin go away from Michael Saunders a little more often in favor of Daniel Nava. Once Howie Kendrick returns, he’ll be an upgrade over Tommy Joseph at first. These tweaks aren’t going to turn to the lineup into world beaters, but they’ll help make things better.

Denny Basens

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Notes From The Phillies’ 5-4 Loss To Chicago

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