Enhanced Box Score: Phillies 2, Cubs 1 - May 21, 2023
With two outs in the 9th inning, Christopher Morel hit his obligatory homer, and the Cubs avoided being shut out for the first time this season. There’s your lone positive on the offensive side today.
Justin Steele was OUTSTANDING, maybe looking as good as he’s looked all year (and he’s looked GOOD quite frequently). It sucks that it came on a day when the Cubs couldn’t score, and it sucks that the bullpen couldn’t be perfect (they’re always asked to be perfect these days). Two runs allowed should win you the game.
Adbert Alzolay had been doing so well against lefties this year, after that being his primary struggle the last two. I can cut him some slack today (I just wish I wasn’t having to cut someone on the pitching staff slack every single day). The damage came on an up and in two-strike fastball to Bryson Stott that I didn’t really think was all that bad – Alzolay had beat him there earlier in the at bat – but it just seemed like he tried to go there one too many times:
Taijuan Walker came into this one with an ERA over 6.50 and he held the Cubs down for 5.1 innings. It felt a bit silly to be like, thank goodness that guy is out of there, but that’s how it felt today. And then it didn’t matter, at least not until Morel’s ultimately meaningless homer off of Craig Kimbrel. I feel apathetic, and that’s not good.
Full box score.
Source: bleachernation.com
