Marcus Stroman allowed one run over seven strong innings, and Yan Gomes' second hit of the night broke a tie score in the seventh, as the Chicago Cubs handed the Philadelphia Phillies a fifth consecutive road defeat with a 2-1 win on Tuesday.
After yielding a run over seven innings against Colorado to earn his first 2022 home win on Sept. 16, Stroman (5-7) repeated that performance, while also giving up four hits, a walk and striking out six on Tuesday. That lone run came in the sixth on Bryce Harper's slicing, two-out RBI double slightly out of the reach of diving center fielder Christopher Morel.
Stroman, who helped the Cubs (68-86) to their sixth win in seven games, was locked into a stellar pitching duel with Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler. Making his second start after missing over a month with forearm tendinitis, Wheeler allowed only Morel's 15th homer of the season in the third, four other hits, a walk and struck out five on 62 pitches in six innings.
Clinging to the third and final wild-card spot in the National League and looking for its first postseason appearance since 2011, Philadelphia (83-70) has dropped three in a row and eight of the last 11 overall. The Phillies have been even worse on the road of late, going 5-13 following a stretch of nine wins in 10 games away from home.
Philadelphia looked to have some momentum after Harper's game-tying hit, but Chicago broke the tie against Connor Brogdon (2-2) in the seventh. Ian Happ opened the frame with an infield single, then went to second on Patrick Wisdom's grounder.
Happ eventually came home when Gomes ripped a line drive down the right field line for a two-out double to put the Cubs back in front.
After Harper led off the ninth inning with a single, Manuel Rodriguez came on, got Harper on a forceout and recorded his third save of the season after Alec Bohm grounded into a game-ending double play.
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