Game Recap:
Jeremy Hellickson only lasted four innings last night, as the Phillies dropped the second game of their series against the Chicago Cubs by a score of 8-3. The outing was Hellickson's shortest of the year, and he recorded his first loss of the season as well.
What went right?
Aaron Altherr had another solid game, picking up two of the four Philadelphia hits in three official at-bats. He also walked once, scored once and drove in a run with a solo home run in the first inning.
Michael Saunders went 1-4 with an RBI.
Tommy Joseph was 1-2 at the plate with a walk and an RBI.
What went wrong?
Odubel Herrera went 0-4 with two strikeouts.
Maikel Franco had another rough night, going 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Freddy Galvis saw his 13 game hitting streak come to an end. He finished the game 0-4.
Cameron Rupp went 0-2 with two walks, but also had two strikeouts.
Jeremy Hellickson had his worst outing of the season, lasting only four innings while picking up his first loss of the season. Hellickson allowed six runs on eight hits. He walked two, struck out two and allowed three home runs.
Game Analysis:
After a great first game against the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies came out last night with momentum on their side. Early on, it appeared as if they would continue to have good luck, as Aaron Altherr put the team up 1-0 with a solo home run in the first inning. However, once Jeremy Hellickson took the mound, any positive momentum was quickly wiped away.
The key for Hellickson so far this season has been his control, and the ability to keep his pitches down in the strike zone. Last night, he had neither of those things working for him. The Cubs only needed two batters to come to the plate before Kris Bryant tied the game with a solo home run. Two innings later, Javier Baez started his 4-4 night with a solo home run, and in the fourth inning, Kyle Schwarber crushed a three run home run into right field, putting the Cubs up 5-2. A Ben Zobrist RBI double later in the fourth put an end to Hellickson's night, and Phillies fans can only hope that his performance was more based on the talent that the Cubs have in their lineup, and not a sign of things to come this season.
Of course, the offense didn't do Hellickson many favors, either. The Phillies managed just four hits against starting pitcher Jon Lester, and two of those came from Aaron Altherr. After the fifth inning, when Lester left the game, the Phillies went down in order four straight times against the Chicago bullpen. When you manage to get a starting pitcher out of a game by the fifth inning, you've at least made him throw pitches. The middle relief part of a bullpen is usually the weakest, and where teams should be able to do the most damage. Instead, the Phillies couldn't get a single runner on base in the final four innings of the game.
In the end, last night was not a good showing for anyone wearing red pinstripes, save maybe for Aaron Altherr. The best thing that the Phillies can do from the loss is shake it off as best they can and move on to tonight's game. Hopefully, things go better tonight.
Tonight, Jerad Eickhoff (0-2, 3.56 ERA) tries for his first win of the season for the Phillies. He'll be opposed by Jake Arrieta (3-1, 4.66 ERA).
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