PHILADELPHIA — I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday night.
Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies faced off against Kyle Tucker and the Chicago Cubs in Sunday’s series finale. After splitting the first two, the Phillies were desperate to end their road trip with at least one series win.
After a 0-5 start to his season, the Phillies’ starter was also looking to build some momentum at the end of this road trip. Nola’s struggles early in the season have been well documented, but he took a step in the right direction in the Phillies’ 3-1 win over the Cubs.
Vintage Aaron Nola
Entering play, Nola had a 4-1 record all-time at Wrigley Field. A stat that he was looking to improve upon in his 6th start of the season. Starting the game by retiring 5 straight Chicago hitters was evidence that the right-hander was dialed in.
While his velocity still has not risen, Nola was in complete command of his pitches. With 2 outs in the second inning, a pop-up to shallow right-center field would drop in between Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos. A mixture of luck on the part of Chicago and miscommunication by the Phillies led to the base hit.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, the hottest hitter in all of baseball, would make the Phillies pay for that mistake. Driving a ball to right field, PCA would drive in the first run of the ballgame. Nola settled down and struck out Miguel Amaya to end the threat.
After that, Nola would allow just 1 more hit for the rest of the evening. Racking up 6 strikeouts, he would keep the Cubs at bay, giving his team a chance to win the game.
Nola’s final line was 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, and 0 HRs.
Stay hot, Trea!
A 3-hit night for Trea Turner was the difference for the Phillies in their finale with the Chicago Cubs. Driving in both the tying run in the third inning and an insurance run in the 10th, Turner’s timely hitting proved to be clutch for his team.
In the top of the 3rd inning, a Bryson Stott triple would give the Phils a chance to tie the ballgame. Turner punched a ball through on left, easily scoring Stott, and made it a 1-1 affair. He would get aggressive on the basepaths, getting thrown out trying to steal. While you typically do not like to see a player get thrown out trying to steal, the notion that Turner was looking to be aggressive was a plus. It’s an encouraging sign and worth the risk if he continues to run.
The Phillies’ offense had other chances in the ballgame, but did not capitalize on them. It was not until the 10th inning that they would strike once again. With the ghost runner on second base, J.T. Realmuto would lead off extra innings with a walk.
Max Kepler would follow suit, loading the bases with nobody out. Alec Bohm then had a chance to make a statement. Driving the first pitch he saw into deep right field, a sacrifice fly would score Nick Castellanos to take a 2-1 lead.
Johan Rojas and Realmuto would attempt a safety squeeze to add an extra run. However, the Cubs were ready for a Rojas bunt. The Phillies centerfielder hit the ball too hard on his attempt, and Realmuto, who was running on contact, was out by several steps. Stott would walk to load the bases once again, giving Trea Turner another chance to drive in a run.
He did just that on an infield single. Playing deep in the hole at third, Vidal Brujan waited too long for the ball to arrive. Rather than charging, Brujan sat back, allowing Turner to beat out his throw with ease. This made the game 3-1 Phillies, where the score would stay in the bottom half of the frame.
Romano goes 1-2-3
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Rob Thomson trusted Jordan Romano to break out of his funk.
Entering Sunday night, Romano held a 13.50 earned run average in 11 appearances. Struggles with his velocity and command had seemingly been resolved, but the changes to his delivery led to pitch tipping, according to the Phillies’ staff. As the Astros proved in 2017, it is much easier to hit when you know what is coming.
With even more changes to his delivery, Jordan Romano looked more like the pitcher he was brought in to be. A 1-2-3 10th inning gave the Phillies the series win and Romano his second save in a Phillies uniform. He lowered his ERA to 12.19 on the season.
Other Phillies Notes
Bryson Stott continues to hit well in the lead-off spot. His third-inning triple helped get the Phillies on the board and has seemingly helped the second baseman find his groove at the plate. He should remain at the top of the order for the Phillies moving forward.
Kyle Schwarber‘s walk-in the 9th inning extended his on-base streak to 34 straight games. Schwarber’s streak goes back to last season and has been instrumental in getting the team’s offense rolling.
Orion Kerkering had a 1-2-3 8th inning for the Phillies. Another struggling reliever, Kerkering, has to step up if the Phillies are serious about competing in 2025. His appearance in Chicago can help build towards a strong month of May.
The Phillies had a 5:3 walk-to-strikeout ratio in Sunday’s game. Limiting strikeouts is an area the team has to improve on, and they had competitive at-bats all night long.
If you are looking for a silver lining at the end of April, the Phillies have gone toe to toe with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago Cubs. They are a combined 6-4 against those teams, winning the Dodgers series at home and the Cubs series on the road.
They return home to play the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
