The Philadelphia Phillies will drag a four-game losing streak into the opener of a three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon.
Ending the early-season slump won’t be easy against the hottest-hitting team in the major leagues.
Philadelphia surrendered two runs in the bottom of the 10th on Wednesday in their latest defeat, a 4-3 road loss to the New York Mets.
“We just got to win. I mean, it takes care of everything,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said. “It takes care of the mindset. It takes care of what you’re feeling, or anything else like that. Doesn’t matter if one guy’s struggling or not. We come to win, and winning takes care of it all. So, as a team, we just have to be better.”
The Phillies got off to a 7-2 start to the season, but have since dropped 10 of 16.
Their team batting average (.251) and OPS (.721) were both in the top 10 in the MLB entering MLB play Thursday, but they’ve struggled in key situations, particularly with the bases loaded, hitting just .154.
“We know what type of team we are,” Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler said. “We know how good we are. We just got to play better and play more consistently. All around, everybody, including us starters. So, it’s just a matter of doing it.”
The Phillies plan to send right-hander Taijuan Walker to the mound in the series opener.
Walker (1-1, 2.29 ERA) allowed one run and four hits over four innings in his most recent outing. The game ended in Philadelphia’s 11-10 win over the Miami Marlins last Saturday.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson elected to pull Walker after four innings, despite owning a 7-1 lead and having thrown just 56 pitches. He did have three walks.
“His shoulder got a little bit stiff,” Thomson said after the game.
Walker has made seven appearances against the Cubs in his career, including six starts, and is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA.
The Cubs are coming off a two-game sweep of the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, scoring a combined 18 runs to give them an MLB-best 163 on the season, which was 26 more than the next closest team, entering Thursday.
One of the team’s hottest hitters has been center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who went 6-for-9 against the Dodgers with two home runs, three runs and seven RBIs.
Armstrong has also been dazzling in center field.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play in front of some amazing center fielders,” Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd said. “He’s at the top of (the list). He’s really, really good out there. Defensively, I’ve got to say he’s probably the best, and what he’s doing at the plate is no surprise.”
Right-hander Colin Rea is set to start on Friday for Chicago.
Rea (0-0, 1.32) made three appearances out of the bullpen to start the season before making two starts.
He gave up one run and five hits over 4 2/3 innings in his most recent outing, a 13-11 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday.
Rea has made six appearances against the Phillies in his career, including four starts, and is 0-2 with a 2.89 ERA and a save.
–Field Level Media
