Game Recap: Phillies walk-off Cubs

Kyle Ross - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 24 hours ago

PHILADELPHIA - When the Chicago Cubs (40-26) kicked off their series with the Philadelphia Phillies (38-28) at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, a lot of people felt this was the right time to get the Phillies. This is a team that is coming off a sweep by the Pirates over the weekend, losers of five straight and nine of 10 overall, as things haven't gone well for the Phillies lately.

However, given the Cubs' struggles against some of the game's elite arms, this is one of those series that has a chance to be a get-right series for the Phillies, as the Cubs will see their top two arms this week. That included a matchup with Zach Wheeler on Monday as, once again, the Cubs offense was handcuffed through nine innings before a Brandon Marsh 11th-inning single was the difference as the Phillies walked off the Cubs 4-3.

As expected, the Cubs struggled to get anything going against Wheeler as the right-hander continued to go about his business. Following six strong innings of one run and seven strikeouts, Wheeler continues to be one of the more underrated pitchers in the game, as his ERA is sitting at 2.85 for the season. Opposing him was the Cubs' left-hander Matthew Boyd, who is turning in quite an impressive season himself.

Although Boyd wasn't nearly as effective with two walks and no strikeouts through six innings, he did what he had to do to limit the damage as he was charged with two runs (1ER) to see his ERA fall to 2.89 for the season. The lone run off Wheeler came in the first inning as Kyle Tucker touched him up for his 13th homer of the season to put the Cubs in front 1-0. Chicago would only have two more hits the rest of the way against Wheeler, but there was also some tough luck involved as the Cubs hit several balls right on the screws only to have the defense make the play.

Despite Boyd allowing baserunners in each of the first three innings, the Phillies were unable to scratch a run across as Boyd did a great job of pitching out of trouble, which has been something he has done a lot this season. The fourth inning is when things began to change as Boyd walked Kyle Schwarber to start things off before a pair of singles from Alec Bohm and Nicholas Castellanos loaded the bases with no outs.

JT Realmuto kept the line moving with an RBI force out, but once again, Boyd was able to limit the damage as he induced an inning-ending double play to keep things 1-1. The fifth inning was more of the same for the Phillies, with Otto Kemp leading off the fifth with a single before advancing to second on an errant pickoff from Boyd. That proved costly, with Weston Wilson following that up with a single as the Phillies took their first lead of the game, 2-1.

Philadelphia would add another baserunner later in the inning, but once again, it was Boyd finding a way to wiggle out of trouble to keep things close. With both pitchers out of the game after the sixth, it was time for the bullpens to take over, and it was the Phillies who had a chance to add to their lead off Ryan Pressly in the seventh, only to have the right-hander battle through another jam.

Fast forward to the eighth, and it was the Cubs playing long ball yet again as Ian Happ took Matt Strahm deep for the Cubs second homer of the night and brought things back to even 2-2. This marked the Cubs' seventh homer in their past three games, and up to this point, all eight of their runs over those three games had come via the long ball.

Over the next two innings, the Phillies had a chance to put the game away in regulation, especially against Brad Keller in the eighth, but once again, it was the Cubs pen standing tall as this one was headed for extras tied at two. With neither team getting a run in the 10th, it was the Cubs who broke through in the 11th as the Pete Crow-Armstrong double put the Cubs in front 3-2 and looking for more.

Crow-Armstrong managed to reach third on a Carlos Hernandez wild pitch, but the Cubs failed to drive him in as that proved to be the knockout blow for this team. On for his second inning of work in the 11th was Daniel Palencia, as he was hoping to keep his strong run of success going. What looked like another promising outing with a scoreless 10th turned sour quickly as Realmuto delivered a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to make this a 3-3 game.

It only got worse for the right-hander from there as Bryson Stott and Kemp each picked up a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Faced with a tough situation and in desperate need of a strikeout, Palencia couldn't get the job done as Marsh came through in the clutch with an RBI single to walk off the Cubs 4-3. Chicago was held to five hits in the game, and only two from the eighth inning on in the loss.