Baserunners ahoy! Cubs 7, Phillies 4
It was not a good night for the Phillies’ pitching staff
Apr 21, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tanner Banks (58) leaves the field after the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images The Phillies have had their share of poorly pitched ballgames this season. While they have had games in which they’ve given up more runs, there’s a case that this was actually their worst pitched game of the season.
The Phillies’ pitching staff gave up 12 hits, walked ten batters, and hit two others for good measure. The pitchers and the strike zone were not in sync all night. There were several instances in which pitchers looked either scared to throw a strike or simply had no idea where the strike zone actually was.
The only reason the game wasn’t more of a blowout was because Cubs left a staggering 17 runners on base. But that ultimately didn’t matter as the Cubs still scored enough runs to hand the Phillies a 7-3 defeat, their seventh loss in a row. Jesus Luzardo got the start for the Phillies, and had a relatively uneventful first inning, giving up a mere single.
In the second, he allowed two hits but stranded them both. Because he apparently likes patterns, in the third, Luzardo put three runners on bases thanks to two walks and a hit batter, but he once again was able to strand them all. After stranding two more in the fourth, Luzardo put two runners aboard in the fifth.