The Philadelphia Phillies continue their playoff push as they travel to Chicago to face the Cubs on Thursday in the final game of a three game series. The Phillies hold a slim lead over the Brewers for the third and final playoff spot in the National League while the Cubs are third in the NL central, well out of contention. The Cubs were 4-0 against the Phillies this year heading into Wednesday's game. Game time is 2:20 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The Phillies are trying to hold off the Brewers, who sat just 1.5 games behind them as of Wednesday. But they can't afford to lose games like they did on Tuesday to the Cubs. The Cubs beat them 2-1 and it was the Phillies third straight loss. Zach Wheeler pitched well, allowing 1 run in 6 innings, but he didn't get any help. Bryce Harper had 2 hits and drove in the only Phillies run. The Phillies only had 5 hits. Connor Brogdon took the loss.
That's pretty good. pic.twitter.com/cw9A33913W
— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) September 28, 2022
The Phillies will count on Ranger Suarez on Thursday to get the much-needed win. Suarez has delivered more often than not with a record of 10-5 on the season with an ERA of 3.38 in 27 starts. He has 122 strikeouts and 55 walks in 146.1 innings pitched. Suarez beat Max Fried and the Braves in his last start, blanking the Braves through 6 innings to get the win. The Phillies have a team ERA of 3.94, which is 16th in the league. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.20, which ranks 22nd in the league.