Cubs win eighth straight behind Matthew Boyd's return, Ben Brown's relief work
Matthew Boyd finally joined the party. Michael Busch left the premises for the first time this season. Ben Brown, the most reliable two-inning pitcher in a Cubs uniform, tacked a “W” next to his name for the first time in almost a year. And if you’re looking for somebody worth investing in on the prediction market, locker mates Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong might be just the guys.
The Cubs (15-9) won their eighth straight game Wednesday night, beating the Phillies 7-2 before a crowd of 29,951. “Go, Cubs, Go” is an earworm.
The Cubs had not won eight straight in April since the 1970 Cubs won 11 straight, 56 years ago. That team finished second place in an era where being runner-up didn’t buy you a wild-card invite. The lesson there? Enjoy how well your team is playing, but no need to set aside money for the playoffs just yet.
The Phillies (8-16), who have been October participants in each of the last five seasons, have lost eight straight, including their last four meetings to the Cubs by a combined score of 40-13.
They might one day view the rat who trod on their toes Tuesday with the same superstitious terror that fans of the ’69 Cubs had of the black cat that stalked Ron Santo near the Shea Stadium dugout.
Don’t believe in omens? Try telling that to the Phillies on a night that a ball originally ruled a home run, by Aroldis Garcia, was declared foul, center fielder Justin Crawford dropped a fly ball that acted possessed in the wind and the game ended when ABS changed Hoby Milner’s final pitch of the night to strike three on Rafael Marchan.
Boyd, who came off the 15-day injured list Wednesday, allowed two runs in 4‰ innings, ending his night by inducing Kyle Schwarber to hit into a double play when the Phillies were still in striking distance.
Busch hit his first home run in his 83rd at-bat of the season, a third-inning solo shot that was followed two innings later by Seiya Suzuki’s two-run homer.
Brown relieved Boyd and was credited with the win. And Bregman and Crow-Armstrong each collected three hits apiece.
“Grateful to be back, grateful to be competing,’’ Boyd said on a night four Cubs pitchers did not walk a batter while striking out 12. “[The streak] is awesome. It just speaks to the professional approach we have in this clubhouse — the experience of the guys we have in this clubhouse.’’
Traffic jam
If you thought the Cubs had an unusual amount of traffic on the bases Tuesday night, you were not wrong. While beating the Phillies 7-4, they left 17 men on base. That matched the team record for a nine-inning game set July 3, 2010, and came within one of the National League record shared by multiple teams.
The Yankees hold the big-league record of 20 set in a 13-7 loss to the Red Sox on Sept. 21, 1956.
The White Sox are one of three teams to leave 19 men on base, back on April 7, 1977, when they lost 9-5 to Toronto in the first game in Blue Jays history — in unsuitable playing conditions.