The Chicago Cubs dominated the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night with a 10-4 victory, led by Cody Bellinger’s impressive performance. Bellinger tallied a triple, two singles, and four RBIs during the game. Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber added to the Cubs’ offensive power by hitting his 38th home run of the season. On the Phillies’ side, Bryce Harper contributed with his 30th home run of the season, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Cubs’ strong showing.
Despite the Phillies clinching their first NL East title in 13 years the night before, manager Rob Thomson kept his regular lineup for the game in a bid to secure home-field advantage in the NL playoffs. The Phillies, with a record of 93-65, have four games left in the season and need to at least tie with the Brewers to earn a first-round playoff bye. Philadelphia also has a chance to secure home-field advantage through the NL Championship Series by finishing tied with or ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the second inning, the Phillies faced a significant setback when Tanner Banks and Taijuan Walker gave up six runs to the Cubs, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Walker’s performance was met with boos from the crowd after issuing consecutive bases-loaded walks. Despite a brief comeback with Garrett Stubbs’ RBI bunt single in the bottom of the inning, the Phillies couldn’t match the Cubs’ strong offensive display.
In the sixth inning, the Cubs further solidified their lead with four runs, including Bellinger’s bases-clearing triple. Drew Smyly excelled on the pitching front, delivering a scoreless inning in relief of Cubs starter Justin Steele. Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong also made significant contributions with doubles and hits, respectively.
Looking ahead, the Cubs and Phillies will conclude their three-game series on Wednesday night with Javier Assad set to pitch for the Cubs against Cristopher Sánchez for the Phillies. The Cubs will aim to carry their momentum into the next game, while the Phillies will be looking to bounce back from their defeat.
In injury updates, Cubs’ 1B Michael Busch was sidelined with a right triceps contusion after being hit by a pitch, while Phillies LF Austin Hays returned to the lineup after recovering from a kidney infection. Hays finished the game with one hit in four at-bats.
