Final Score: Cubs 15, Phillies 2
Kyle Schwarber deposited the first pitch that the Philadelphia Phillies saw in the second half of the 2022 season into the right field stands. However, a home run against his former team didn’t prove to be a precursor of what was to come, as the Phillies lost in a pretty brutal fashion to the Chicago Cubs Friday evening, opening up questions about how much longer two veterans will be in red pinstripes for.
Willson Contreras — likely in the waning days of his time with the Cubs — tied the game with a 376-foot home run in the top of the fourth inning. It’s entirely possible that it’s the final one that the 2016 World Series Champion will hit in a Cubs uniform.
With that said, the All-Star catcher’s home run was just the beginning of the damage that the Cubs would do to Kyle Gibson in the series opener.
Gibson was charged with five runs in the top of the fifth inning, a frame where he recorded just one out. Make no mistake, the veteran righty struggled Friday. But he wasn’t helped by a defensive play where Didi Gregorius, Rhys Hoskins, Matt Vierling and Bryson Stott all seemingly contributed to what turned out to be a little league home run by Christopher Morel:
Jeurys Familia came on in relief of Gibson, inheriting two base runners. Nico Hoerner greeted Familia with a double into the left field gap that plated both of those runners. With an accurate throw to home plate, the Phillies may have had a chance to gun down the second of those runners, but the relay from Gregorius wasn’t competitive:
Before the inning was out, Patrick Wisdom would double off of Familia, increasing the Cubs lead to 7-1.
You are left to wonder whether the shortcomings that Gregorius has in the field are worth it anymore. They were when he had an .827 OPS in 2020. It’s much harder to make the case that you should continue playing a shortstop who entered the evening with -5 defensive runs saved when the 32-year-old doesn’t seem to have much pop left in his bat.
Some difficult conversations may need to be had when Jean Segura is ready to return to second base. While his bat has yet to consistently come around, Bryson Stott unquestionably is a better defender at shortstop than Gregorius at this stage. And both Yairo Muñoz and Johan Camargo likely offer more value as bench pieces.
“Yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when Segura gets back,” interim manager Rob Thomson said after the game when asked if Stott could start to see more time at shortstop, especially when Segura returns.
Familia — once one of the league’s best closers — may be at a similar stage of his career as Gregorius. José Alvarado, Nick Nelson, Andrew Bellatti and Seranthony Domínguez have all contributed to a drastically improved bullpen in 2022, but Familia has a 4.99 ERA in 34 games this season. The Phillies gave Familia $6 million in free agency, which has given him job security to this point. But with the possible return of Sam Coonrod and any upgrades that may be made before the Aug. 2 trade deadline, time may be running out for Familia.
With the loss, the Phillies fall to 49-44. Meanwhile, the lowly Cubs improve to 36-57, with wins at this stage only serving to hurt the team’s odds of obtaining the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The Phillies and Cubs will continue their series Saturday, with Zack Wheeler slated to square off with Marcus Stroman in the second of a three-game weekend series between the two National League teams.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
- Justin Steele walked four batters over five innings, but still limited the Phillies to just four hits and one run. That was more than enough for him to earn a win Friday.
- Kyle Gibson hit a wall in the top of the fifth inning, and certainly wasn’t helped by the poor defense behind him. Over 4 1/3 innings, Gibson allowed six hits and six earned runs. On the season, the 34-year-old now has 4.69 ERA. With Zach Eflin out indefinitely, the Phillies clearly need more from their starting rotation behind Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Saturday, July 23 vs. Cubs at Citizens Bank Park
- 6:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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