September 22, 2024; New York City, NY, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas (18) attempts to catch New York Mets center fielder Tyrone Rojas during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Fly ball hit by Tyrone Taylor (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Thirteen years later, the Philadelphia Phillies will have to wait at least another day to celebrate.
The Phillies will once again try to capture their first National League East title since 2011 when they take on the visiting Chicago Cubs in a three-game series on Monday.
Philadelphia (92-64) clinched the NFC East title with the magic number one. The Phillies could have beaten the second-place New York Mets on Saturday or Sunday, but they lost 6-3 on Saturday and were thwarted 2-1 on Sunday.
“It's disappointing, but at the end of the day, we can go home and win in front of our own fans,” Phillies right-hander Zach Wheeler said after Sunday's loss. “Once we get back home, start playing a little better and try to win the next couple series and get into the playoffs hot. Turn the page. It's not the end of the world.”
The Phillies will now turn to Aaron Nola (12-8, 3.54 ERA), who has bounced back in recent games after two poor outings. The veteran right-hander allowed one run and three hits to the Milwaukee Brewers in seven innings on Wednesday, striking out nine in a winless victory.
“Everything feels good,” Nora said. “My command was really good. I felt like I got out early. I put a lot into the game. I feel like I've felt that way for a while.”
Historically, Nola has had stellar numbers against the three Cubs teams he has played against the most. Dansby Swanson has a career batting average of .233 against Nola, while Cody Bellinger has struck out eight of just three in 19 at-bats. The most egregious of them all was Ian Happ, who had never allowed a hit in 15 career at-bats against the 31-year-old right-hander. Nola has started nine career games against Chicago and is 6-2 with a 4.69 ERA.
The Cubs offense didn't need much on Sunday, but Mike Tauchman, Michael Busch and Miguel Amaya each hit home runs for Chicago in a 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals Team. Shota Imonaga was the main star for the host team, pitching seven innings in their sixth straight victory.
“We played a great all-around game,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
Nate Pearson (2-2, 4.71) will get the nod for the Cubs (80-76) on Monday, with the 28-year-old right-hander making his first start since 2021. First appearance.
Pearson's goal, of course, is to quiet Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner, who each had two hits in Sunday's game. Castellanos has seven hits in four games with New York, while Turner has seven in the last eight games.
The Cubs have been a little coy about their starting pitching (and overall plans) for the final week of the season. Even though his team has been eliminated from playoff contention, Counsell prefers to reveal the bare minimum while still saying all the right things.
“Nothing has changed,” Counsell said before Sunday's game. “You just go out and play the game, respect the game, respect your teammates, that's it. That's what you do.”
In early July, the Phillies won two of three games at Wrigley Field, recording two close victories before the Cubs responded with a 10-2 run.
–Scene-level media