Aaron Nola struggles with command vs. Cubs in Phillies' sixth consecutive series-opening loss

Lochlahn March, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 20, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — The knockout blow came in the second inning.

Aaron Nola seemed on the verge of wriggling out of the jam he’d put himself in while only conceding one run to the Cubs. Chicago loaded the bases with no outs in the second on two walks and a single, but then Nola induced a double play to get back in the driver’s seat.

But another walk, followed by a middle-of-the-zone fastball that nine-hole hitter Dansby Swanson hammered 424 feet for a three-run shot, suddenly put the Phillies in a 4-0 hole. And for their scuffling offense, it proved too deep to climb back out.

The Phillies fell, 5-1, to Chicago, starting off their road trip with a sixth straight loss.

An RBI double from Justin Crawford in the fourth inning accounted for the Phillies’ only run. They put the leadoff hitter aboard five times, but failed to cash in any of them.

The Phillies stranded the bases loaded in the second when backup catcher Rafael Marchán struck out swinging on a splitter in the dirt from Colin Rea.

Meanwhile, Nola had inconsistent command, and issued four walks over 4 1/3 innings. He fell behind in the count, throwing first-pitch strikes only 45% of the time. Nola loaded the bases again in the third inning on a single, double and a walk, and the Cubs tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly.

The Cubs helped stifle any momentum with some strong defensive plays. Ian Happ dove into the stands to catch a foul pop-up from Kyle Schwarber in the first. The Phillies’ designated hitter was then robbed of an RBI in the seventh when Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner dove to snag a ground ball that left Schwarber’s bat at 99.6 mph.

In the ninth, Matt Shaw made a diving catch on a liner from Trea Turner. Schwarber popped out to the catcher to end the game.