Phillies get Embarrassed in Third-Straight Series Loss to Cubs
Apr 15, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner (42) reacts with infielder Matt Shaw (42) hits a two-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The Phillies have lost their third consecutive series.
They drop the rubber match to the Cubs, 11-2, losing their second straight game. Once again, it was the same old same old from the offense. Scoring in one inning and calling it quits for the rest of the night. The offense only mustered one run through eight innings as Shota Imanaga dominated Phillies hitters all night.
Jesus Luzardo also wasn’t a positive factor in Wednesday’s miserable loss. He gave up eight earned runs in 5.1 innings. It’s the most runs he’s given up since he allowed 12 last year against the Brewers, and he’s given up five or more runs in three out of his four starts. He is the last pitcher to have multiple starts in which he has allowed more than 12 hits and 9 runs. The only other pitcher to do that for the Phillies was Robin Roberts.
For a moment, it looked like the Phillies could set the tone early, with Trea Turner jumping on the 2nd pitch of the game from Imananga to give the Phillies a quick 1-0 lead and another early lead. Luzardo backed that up with a clean 2nd inning, with him only throwing 17 pitches in the first two innings. But those first two innings were the best Luzardo was on Wednesday night.
The Cubs took full advantage in the third and never looked back. Matt Shaw doubled with one out, and Nico Hoerner followed with a game-tying RBI single, and then a throwing error by J.T. Realmuto helped open the door for another Cubs run. When a Luzardo wild pitch brought home a third run in the inning, a 1-0 lead had turned into a 3-1 deficit without Chicago needing to do anything spectacular. The Phillies gave the Cubs extra momentum without any hard contact, and it led to three Chicago runs.
And once again in the fifth inning, it was Shaw and Hoerner again. After another one-out double, Hoerner blasted a deep homerun to left center field to make it 5-1 Cubs. It would’ve been 6-1 if it wasn’t for Realmuto throwing out Pete Crow-Armstrong right before the double. The hits just kept on coming, with back-to-back singles by Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki, but finally, an Ian Happ double play got the Phillies out of more trouble.
The sixth inning is where the Cubs finally put the game out of reach once and for all. Three straight base hits loaded the bases, which set up Shaw for yet another double to give Chicago a 7-1 lead, in which Luzardo was finally pulled from the game. Kyle Backus replaced Luzardo and gave up a double to give Hoerner his 5th RBI of the night, as one more run was charged to Luzardo, ending his night with eight earned runs.
Meanwhile, as Luzardo was getting tatted around, Imanaga was dominating all night. In his six innings of work, he struck out 11 Phillies while only allowing three hits, and settled in really nicely after the leadoff home run. Imanaga got Phillies hitters to whiff 26 times, which is the most in a single outing against the Phils since Robbie Ray in 2021.
The Cubs added their 10th in the top of the 7th, with Dansby Swanson getting in on the offensive action, crushing a solo homerun. Dylan Moore came out for the second time this season as the Phillies waved the white flag, giving up one run. It’s the second time Moore has pitched for the Phillies this season, and the month of April isn’t even over yet. In the bottom of the 9th, Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to cut the lead down to nine as the Cubs closed out the 11-2 victory.
The Phillies are now 1-4 in rubber matches on the season and have already lost three home series, which is the number of series they lost at home in all of the 2025 season. Their -25 run differential is the worst they’ve had at any point of the regular season since April 15th, 2023.
The Phillies have an off day on Thursday before they welcome the Atlanta Braves for their first meeting of the regular season on Friday night. Taijuan Walker gets the ball Friday night with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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