Home runs doom Cole Irvin, Phillies in 8-4 loss

Monday and Tuesday’s Philadelphia Phillies-Chicago Cubs games featured blown saves in the ninth inning. Wednesday’s game went a bit differently, as the Phillies fell to the Cubs 8-4, with a three-run home run and grand slam serving as the daggers.

Cole Hamels took the mound to face his former team for the first time, while Cole Irvin made his third career start. Neither was effective.

The Phillies got the scoring going early. In the top of the first, Andrew McCutchen had a leadoff double off of Hamels. That was later followed by a Hoskins walk. With two outs, J.T. Realmuto hit a deep shot that went straight into the ivy in right-center, which meant a ground rule double. That gave the Phillies a 1-0 edge over Chicago.

The Phillies continued their hot hitting in the top of the third. Segura started off the inning with a double, and was then able to advance to third after a bunt single by Bryce Harper. A Hoskins single scored Segura, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. They weren’t done yet, however. Cesar Hernandez had an RBI single, scoring Harper and giving the Phillies a three-run lead.

That lead wouldn’t last long, however.

In the bottom of the third, Irvin ran into some trouble when he allowed two straight singles. Those singles came back to bite him when with two men on, Anthony Rizzo hit a towering three-run home run that bounced off the scoreboard to tie the game:

Anthony Rizzo hits the scoreboard.pic.twitter.com/7IpbiqlMct

— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) May 23, 2019

Things got even uglier in the fifth inning for Irvin.

After a double and two walks, Irvin went face-to-face with Albert Almora Jr. The result was a grand slam by Almora Jr., putting the Cubs up 7-3. It was Almora’s fifth home run of the season:

Albert Almora Jr. breaks the tie with a grand slam pic.twitter.com/UxyT1kMS6v

— Tater Talk: A Baseball Podcast (@TaterTalkPod) May 23, 2019

The long ball continued to plague the Phillies in the bottom of the seventh. With Enyel De Los Santos pitching, Javier Baez hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot to center field. That put Chicago up 8-3.

Andrew McCutchen gave the Phillies a tiny bit of life in the top of the eighth inning with a solo home run. It was his seventh home run of the season, and it cut the Cubs lead to four runs:

Cutch helps chip away a bit. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/MFyAqkQXxi

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 23, 2019

In the ninth, the Phillies tried to muster a comeback, but those attempts ended with an Andrew Knapp groundout that left two runners on base. In total, the Phillies stranded 12 runners Wednesday evening.

With the loss, the Phillies fall to 28-21 on the season, and will look to avoid a series loss at the hands of the Cubs tomorrow afternoon.

Shibe Vintage Sports Pitching Performance

• Cole Hamels didn’t look like his vintage self against the Phillies. In four innings, he gave up nine hits, while allowing three runs and two walks. He did have six strikeouts, however.
• Cole Irvin had the first rough outing of his career. He pitched 4.2 innings, allowing seven hits, seven runs, three walks and two home runs (including a grand-slam).

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Albert Almora, Jr.

• The 25-year-old only had one hit on the night, but it was the biggest one of the game. The outfielder delivered a grand slam that put the Cubs up by four. Almora now has a .275 batting average on the season.

Next Game

• Thursday, May 22, Wrigley Field
• 2:05 pm E.T.
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP, WTTM 1680 (Spanish)