Chicago Cubs rally, but bullpen falters again in loss

That is the best performance through 51 games for a Cubs rookie since the 1914 season, according to Stats Inc. But in the bottom of the seventh, Aaron Altherr tripled.

Howard went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in the Phillies’ 5-1 loss to Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs in the first game Friday night before breaking an 0-for-35 skid with a seventh-inning double in a 7-3 defeat in the nightcap. The Phillies took the lead when Justin Grimm walked pinch-hitter Darnell Sweeney with the bases loaded, and Cesar Hernandez cleared the bases with a double to left to put Philadelphia up four runs.

While no concussion discussion was offered up for public debate, it still doesn’t appear Hernandez could make any kind of fast return with the thumb. I guess, in that case, it’d be OK for that “praise the otherwise bad team after the game” thing if Clint Hurdle did it, as the Brewers have almost single-handedly kept the Pirates from overtaking the Cardinals. “Especially looking at him in past years, I don’t think anybody was convinced he was going to hit”.

SS Freddy Galvis went 3-for-5 with a two-run double Sunday against the Cubs.

Reliever Dario Hinojosa (1-0) earned the victory for the Phillies.

Sunday starter Aaron Harang (5-15, 5.02) has maybe suffered the most this year.

He used his first at-bat to once again prove that he’s more than ready to handle big league pitching when he belted his 14th homer of the season.

Twins 7, White Sox 0: Torii Hunter hit a three-run homer off of Chris Sale in the first and Kyle Gibson pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning. Haren has a 3.73 ERA this season and worked seven scoreless innings against the Cardinals in his last outing….

Ryan Howard drove in three runs. Rizzo walked, Coghlan to second.

“That was a long one“, Harang said of the six-plus minutes replay delay.

If you missed Sunday’s column on how it was part of much needed changes for the Phillies, give it a read here.

Here’s hoping they can get this one in. Of course, Harang and the Phillies wouldn’t protect it very well.

Addison Russell hit an RBI single in the fourth and Coghlan connected in the fifth to cut it to 4-3. Philadelphia (56-88) added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth against Cubs rookie C.J. Edwards, who was charged with both tallies in his one inning of work.

After the game Joe Maddon said “I’m just glad we’re not in the same division as the Phillies”. “He’s disappointed, obviously”.

Bryant, 23, is now batting.268 with 23 doubles, five triples, 12 stolen bases, 23 home runs and 87 RBIs in 129 games this season. But Mackanin has all but officially relegated him to a part-time player.

“We know he’s got it in him”, interim manager Pete Mackanin said. Recently he’s cooled off, but for a few weeks, with more sustained playing time, Rupp was tearing it up at the plate and was improving defensively as well.