Chicago Cubs: Cubs walk it off in 5-4 win over the Phillies

The Chicago Cubs won the finale of a four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 5-4, winning the series in the process.

The Chicago Cubs finally managed to pitch a scoreless first inning en route to a series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Chicago rested key starters Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist, though Zobrist and Heyward both made pinch-hit appearances. Albert Almora Jr., Jon Jay and Matt Szczur all got starting action for the day.

The game started with a first inning RBI double from Addison Russell. Russell drove in Kris Bryant, who went 4-for-5 on the day. After a big day at the plate, Bryant is now slashing .321/.417/.563. He’s no Randal Grichuk, but those are decent numbers.

The second inning saw the Cubs take a 2-0 lead when Matt Szczur doubled home Albert Almora Jr., who’s quietly having a very productive season in a somewhat limited role.

The Phillies would charge back, however, scoring one run in each of the following three innings, giving Philadelphia a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth. That wouldn’t last long, either, as Miguel Montero tied things up 3-3 with a sacrifice fly to center.

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A Cameron Rupp solo home run in the eighth would give the Phillies another lead, but Miguel Montero tied things up once again, launching a solo homer into the center field basket. After a lackluster 2016, Montero is off to fantastic start at the plate, slashing .385/.405/.641 with three home runs.

After Albert Almora doubled in the bottom of the 13th inning, the Cubs won it 5-4 in walk-off fashion, courtesy of a fielder’s choice RBI from Matt Szczur. The Cubs are now 16-12 on the season.

Cubs’ pitching keeps them in the game

John Lackey didn’t look his best today, though the Cubs were ultimately able to win anyway. Lackey went five innings, giving up three earned runs on nine hits and no walks to go along with six strikeouts. Giving up first inning runs has been a big problem for Chicago’s starters early this season, but Lackey pulled it off today.

Unfortunately, Carl Edwards Jr. is, in fact, human. The right-hander gave up his first earned run of the season when Phillies’ catcher Cameron Rupp hit a solo home run to right field. On the season, Edwards has given up one earned run in 13 innings pitched, striking out 16 in the process. His WHIP is an impressive 0.62, and his ERA is now a nice 0.69.

Wade Davis, on the other hand, may not be human. The Chicago Cubs’ closer had to enter the ninth inning of a tie game and pitched yet another scoreless inning. Davis has not allowed a run on the season. He’s now gone 13 1/3 scoreless on the season.

Next: Wade Davis has been fantastic for the Cubs

What’s next

Tomorrow will be the start of an interleague series with the New York Yankees. It’ll be Michael Pineda (3-1, 3.14 ERA) going for the Yankees and Kyle Hendricks (2-1, 4.18 ERA) for the Chicago Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20 PM CT at Wrigley Field.