Game 142 Recap: Phillies 7 Cubs 4

Top Play (WPA): With one out in the seventh inning, Aaron Altherr laced what looked to be an eventual double into center field. Dexter Fowler appeared to chase the ball with middling effort and took a poor route in attempting to cut the ball off, eventually dropping the ball and allowing Altherr to cruise into third with a triple. No error was given on the play, but it was clearly a less-than-stellar effort from Fowler that allowed Altherr the extra base. Cubs reliever Clayton Richard struck out Ryan Howard for the second out, getting Howard to chase multiple well-located fastballs. Unfortunately, two pitches later Miguel Montero uncharacteristically short-armed a pitch in the dirt, allowing it to skip away and Altherr to race home for the go-ahead and eventual winning run (+.208). 

Bottom Play (WPA): Richard admirably filled a void for Cubs pitching, as starter Dan Haren lasted just three choppy innings. He threw four innings of one-run ball, tallying four strikeouts and walking no one. His biggest out was the aforementioned strikeout of Howard, keeping the potential go-ahead run at third base. He induced three whiffs from the slugger, all without throwing any breaking pitches (-.122):

Key Moment: In rather predictable fashion, Ryan Howard crushed an 85-mph changeup off of Haren to extend the Philly lead to 4-1. It was a struggle from the beginning for Haren, as he loaded the bases in the first inning before giving up two runs. After his best outing as a Cub last Monday (7 IP, 0 ER), he lasted just three innings today, throwing 74 pitches and giving up four earned runs. Let’s compare his pitch charts from the two outings…

Today:

When Haren missed today, he missed badly. Far too many pitches outside the zone in locations that did not induce swings, leading to three walks. He had a tendency to either be in the middle of the plate, or nowhere close. Now let’s look at last Monday:

Haren worked the edges of the strike zone far more effectively, bunching either on or around the periphery on a plethora of pitches. He also effectively worked the top of the zone, whereas today he threw just two pitches in the upper-third quadrant of the zone.

Chris Coghlan was a one-man show today, making loud contact every time he came to the plate. In the first, he hit an opposite-field shot that missed leaving the yard by just inches, resulting in his first triple. His next at-bat ended similarly, missing a home run by an eyelash, but this time off the right field fence. It was a bizarre scene as Phillies manager Pete Mackanin argued that Coghlan should only be given two bases, as a fan interfered with the ball. The umpiring crew did review the play, but not in the manner that Mackanin expected, instead reviewing whether Coghlan should be awarded a home run. The play would eventually stand as a triple. Cogs finally did connect on his career-best 16th home run in the fifth, blasting a hanging changeup from Harang 440′ into the right field seats. In the seventh, he worked a 3-0 count before lining-out to deep center. He added a single in the ninth for his fourth hit.

With two outs and two on, Anthony Rizzo hit a routine grounder to second, second basemen Cesar Hernandez made the second error of the inning to allow Russell to score and tie the game 4-4. Unfortunately, the scene turned ugly as a collision beyond first base between Hernandez and Rizzo ended with Hernandez leaving the game with a visibly dislocated left thumb. Kris Bryant followed by driving a pitch to deep right, only to see former Cub Brian Bogusevich make an excellent catch to end the inning. The game remained tied 4-4.

Trend to Watch: On Friday, I detailed how Kris Bryant broke Billy Williams and Geovany Soto’s club rookie record for RBI’s. He added to that total today with a first-inning knock to plate Coghlan for his team-leading 92nd ribbie. Today though, he broke another Cubs franchise record, but this one being the dubious distinction of most strikeouts in a single seasons (175). Despite his all-around excellence, expect Bryant to focus on subtle approach changes next year to limit the strikeouts.

Joe Maddon gave Carl Edwards Jr. the ball in the eighth inning of a 5-4 game, challenging the young reliever with a high-leverage moment. Edwards retired the first two batters, but a walk and a single set the stage for Freddy Galvis to rope a two-run double into the right-field corner. With the Cubs bullpen struggling, it’ll be interesting to see whether Maddon continues to challenge Edwards with pitching in critical situations.

Coming Next: After consecutive losses, the Cubs welcome a day off on Monday before beginning the most critical week of the season. They head to Pittsburgh for a four-game set, starting with a double-header on Tuesday featuring heavyweights Jon Lester (3.50 ERA, 3.88 DRA) and Gerrit Cole (2.54, 3.39). Cy Young candidate Jake Arrieta (1.99, 2.24) gets the ball Wednesday, while Kyle Hendricks (4.08, 3.78) will man the bump for the series finale on Thursday. With four games against Wild Card leader Pittsburgh, and a weekend series against Central Division leader St. Louis, the Cubs will need a very special week if a late-season Central Division charge is in the works.

Lead photo courtesy of Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports