The smokey atmosphere could not stop the Phillies from pulling out a sweep in the Windy City.A complete team effort was enough for the Phillies to take down the Cubs, who were hot heading into their series. The Fightin’s have now won 9 straight games on the road and are a season-best 6 games above the .500 mark on the season.
Between tremendous starting pitching, consistent power, and a little bit of luck, the Phils looked good in Chicago and will now head home to face the Nationals.
In this piece, I will walk you through each game against the Cubs and recap how the Phillies were able to come away with a sweep.
Game 1:
Monday night’s game would start off with a bang.
Kyle Schwarber would lead off the game with a double, and Trea Turner would follow that up with an RBI single to give the road team a 1-0 lead.
The one run of support was all that Ranger Suarez needed, as he completely shut down the Cubs offense. Ranger was dominant and hardly faced any adversity in this game.
Ranger would go 7.1 IP, allowing just 4 hits, 1 earned run, and struck out 8 batters in this game.
Brandon Marsh would have one of his best games this season, with a two-home run night.
In the top of the second inning, Marsh would hit a solo shot, extending their lead to 2-0. Then in the top of the fourth, he would hit a two-run shot, giving his team a 4-0 at that point in the game.
A Nick Castellanos RBI single in the 5th gave the Phillies a 5-0 lead and then in the 8th, Nico Hoerner would drive in Cody Bellinger for the Cubs’ only run of the night.
Gregory Soto and Craig Kimbrel would come in to shut the door, as the Phillies took game 1 with ease on Tuesday night.
Phillies vs Cubs Game 2:
The home runs kept coming for the Phillies in Chicago, as the long ball was the key to victory in game 2.
Edmundo Sosa would get the action started with a two-run shot in top of the 2nd inning, give the Phillies an early 2-0 lead.
Nick Castellanos would also join in on the fun in the 2nd, driving home three with just the fifth three-run home run for the Phillies this season. Castellanos’s home run would give the Phillies a 5-0 lead.
The ball was flying out of Wrigley on Tuesday night, but the Cubs also got in on the action.
Aaron Nola made the start in this game, and unfortunately, the trend of allowing a home run a game restarted in this one.
A solo shot to Jared Young in the 3rd and Dansby Swanson in the 5th helped get the Cubs back into the game.
In the fifth inning, Aaron would get into some trouble.
Two singles and back-to-back walks would give the Cubs their 3rd run of the game and make it 8-3 Phillies.
Ian Happ would ground into a fielders choice for Chicago, giving them their fourth run of the game. Nola would get out of the jam without allowing any more runs, and Chicago would only add one more run in the 9th.
Nick Castellanos would go down as the player of the game in this one. Nick went 2-5 with 4 RBIs, which includes the three-run homer in the second inning.
Game 3:
Much like game one of this series, game three would get started off fast for the Phillies.
On the first pitch of the game, Kyle Schwarber would put one in the seats, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the 3rd inning, Bryce Harper would come up clutch with 2 outs. Driving a single up the middle, Harper scored Kody Clemens and Trea Turner to give the Phillies a 3-1. This would be the last run to score in this one.
This game, for the most part, was a pitcher’s duel between Taijaun Walker and Kyle Hendricks.
Walker went 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 earned run, and striking out 6 in the Phillies win. Kyle Hendricks wasn’t too shabby himself going 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 earned, and striking out 4.
Taijuan Walker was brilliant in the month of June and is one of the biggest reasons for the Phillies’ success. He has consistently put the team in a position to win and has earned himself a 9-3 record on the season.
What’s Next?
Following their sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies will now host the Washington Nationals for 3 games this weekend.
After the Nationals series, the Phillies will head to Florida, as they will take on the Rays and Marlins for the final 6 games before the All-Star break.
If the Phillies can go 5-4 or 6-3 in their next 9, they will be in really good standing heading into the All-Star break.
Tampa Bay has been the best team in baseball all season, and they are really good at home. The Marlins are one of the three teams ahead of the Phillies in the Wild Card race. A series win would go a long way for the Phillies’ playoff chances.
