Phillies show some life but drop 7th straight game with 7-4 loss to Cubs

Lochlahn March, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 21, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — A few hours before first pitch against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski offered his perspective of his team’s disappointing start.

“We just haven’t played very well. It’s really every portion of our game,” he said. “ … I don’t think any part of our team has excelled offensively, pitching wise, starting pitching wise, defensively.”

While the Phillies made some strong defensive plays early in Tuesday’s game, they fell short in almost every other aspect. Homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper weren’t enough as the Phillies dropped their seventh in a row, 7-4, to Chicago. Their record dropped to 8-15.

Starter Jesús Luzardo pitched with traffic on the bases, allowing five hits and four walks. He was helped out by stellar defense. Harper made a sliding grab on a pop up over his head in a crucial moment with the bases loaded in the third. Brandon Marsh also caught a ball while crashing into the center-field wall, while Alec Bohm made several athletic grabs at third base.

Defense can’t overcome walks, though, and Phillies pitchers issued 10. In addition to Luzardo’s four, Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks walked two apiece, and Tim Mazya and José Alvarado walked another. The Cubs’ first run of the game came in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk from Kerkering.

Luzardo put two runners on with a walk and a single, and was lifted when his pitch count reached 100. Kerkering was tasked with getting one out, but he walked Dansby Swanson on five pitches to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Moisés Ballesteros fell behind in the count, 0-2, but battled back to even the count. The payoff pitch was close, but called a ball.

Neither Kerkering nor catcher J.T. Realmuto initiated an automated ball-strike challenge, forcing in a run.

The Cubs added to their lead in the seventh, hitting two homers off Mazya.

Schwarber hit his first homer of the season off a left-handed pitcher with a solo blast in the sixth on Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. Harper followed it up with a two-run shot in the eighth off reliever Riley Martin.

Chicago tacked on another run on Alvarado in the eighth after he loaded the bases on a walk and two singles and a wild pitch. Alvarado was removed from the game with a midback spasm, and Brad Keller entered and retired the next two batters to escape the jam.

The Phillies showed some life in the ninth. Bohm finished 0 for 3 but hit a sacrifice fly deep to center field that scored Adolis García from third base, but Trea Turner flew out to end it.