Edmundo Sosa broke a tie with a short sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, followed by Whit Merrifield’s RBI single, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-3 victory over the struggling Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
Sosa’s fly ball, which traveled 261 feet, allowed Trea Turner to score easily from third base. Turner capitalized on rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s throw, which missed the mark and ended up well off the first base line. Crow-Armstrong had injured his left hand earlier in the game during a slide when he stole third base and was spiked by Merrifield.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Crow-Armstrong’s ability to throw effectively after the injury but decided to take the risk.
Turner, who had missed six weeks due to a left hamstring strain, expressed satisfaction with his performance, contributing two hits and scoring two runs against the Cubs.
“Today, I felt like there were times where I needed to be quick and have that extra burst of speed,” Turner commented. “I went for it, and everything felt good.”
All-Star Alec Bohm added his 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot, and finished with two hits as the Phillies secured their third consecutive win.
“The best part was being ahead 3-2,” Bohm said of his pivotal home run. “Any time you hit a homer, it’s definitely a good feeling.”
Philadelphia’s backup catcher Rafael Marchán contributed with a home run and a double in his 12th game since being called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. This followed the injury to three-time All-Star J.T. Realmuto.
Despite missing All-Stars Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies, who have the best record in the majors at 57-29, managed to improve to 4-1 in their absence.
Crow-Armstrong drove in two runs for the Cubs with a pair of doubles, but it wasn’t enough as they suffered their third consecutive loss and eighth in their last ten games. Cody Bellinger also contributed with two hits and an RBI.
