By Theo DeRosa, Sports Talk Philly staff 
Final: Cubs 5, Phillies 4 (13 innings)
CHICAGO — The Phillies' seven-game road trip could be summed up in one play.
Tie game, runners on first and second, in the bottom of the 13th inning, one out. Chopper to second. 4-6 for the putout. Relay throw to first?
It's an error, of course. A wild throw, past the first baseman, allowing the runner to come all the way home.
This is how the Phillies lost the final game of their road series against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. It was a fitting ending to a disappointing trip.
WP: Koji Uehara (1-2, 3.09) ❖ LP: Joely Rodríguez (1-1, 4.50)
Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | R | H | E | |
| PHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 2 |
| CHC |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
Eflin continued to keep his pitch count low, as he has done well throughout the season, but allowed a run in each of the first two innings on a two-out RBI double. The first was off the bat of Addison Russell, while the second was from Matt Szczur.
The Phillies countered with a run in the third inning, when César Hernández bunted down the third-base line for a hit, stole second and scored on red-hot Aaron Altherr's single to left, and another in the fourth on Maikel Franco's first-pitch homer off of John Lackey. Franco's RBI groundout in the fifth gave the Phils the lead, but they wouldn't hold onto it for long.
Two singles and a hit by pitch set the stage for a Miguel Montero sac fly in the bottom of the fifth, knotting the game at 3. Tommy Joseph struck out to end a bases-loaded threat in the seventh as the Phillies failed to break the tie.
Eflin lasted seven innings, allowing nine hits and striking out just one. He was effective in limiting the damage in tight spots.
In the eighth, Rupp took Edwards, Jr.'s second pitch deep to right to put the Phillies ahead.
Joaquín Benoit came on for the eighth, ceding a one-out homer to Miguel Montero to tie it once again. It was the 21st homer allowed by the Phillies bullpen this year, leading the majors.
Ben Zobrist knocked a pinch-hit single in the ninth off of Jeanmar Gómez, but was picked off of second with one out. It was a big break for the Phillies since Kris Bryant singled on the next pitch for what might have been the winning run. Anthony Rizzo then grounded back to Gómez and Thursday's game headed to extra innings.
The Phillies went 1-2-3 in the 10th, but loaded the bases in the 11th and failed to score. In the 12th, they again failed to push across a go-ahead run.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th, manager Pete Mackanin went to a five-man infield. Willson Contreras chopped a ball to Galvis, at short, who recorded a 6-4-3 double play to extend the ballgame.
In the bottom of the 13th, after another scoreless inning for Cubs relief pitching, the game was decided. Albert Almora, Jr. doubled to lead it off. With one out Zobrist was intentionally walked, and Szczur chopped a ball to second. Hernández went to second for a forceout, but Galvis' throw (too late to get Szczur anyway) was late and skipped past Brock Stassi at first base. Almora scampered home, on a fitting ending to a 1-6 road trip for the Phillies.
The Phillies return home for a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park against the NL-best Washington Nationals. Righty Nick Pivetta will face his former organization, taking on right-hander Stephen Strasburg at 7:05.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Eflin | 7.0 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.42 |
| John Lackey | 5.0 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5.14 |
Phillies
- Aaron Altherr: 2-5, 2 BB, 2B, R, .333 AVG
- César Hernández: 4-7, SB, 2 R, .336 AVG
- Cameron Rupp: 3-6, R, HR, RBI, .242 AVG
Cubs
- Jon Jay: 2-4, R, BB, .362 AVG
- Kris Bryant: 4-5, R, .321 AVG
- Miguel Montero: 1-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, .385 AVG
Bullpen
Phillies
- Joaquín Benoit (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 2.63 ERA
- Jeanmar Gómez (9th): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 7.94 ERA
- Joely Rodríguez (10th): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 4.50 ERA
Braves
- Brian Duensing (6th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 5.59 ERA
- Justin Grimm (7th): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 7.30 ERA
- Pedro Strop (7th): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 4.15 ERA
- Carl Edwards, Jr. (8th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 0.69 ERA
- Wade Davis (9th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
- Mike Montgomery (10th): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 1.29 ERA
- Koji Uehara (13th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 3.09 ERA
What's Next
- Friday, May 5, 2017: vs. Washington Nationals, 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 3.09 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (0-1, 3.60 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
