Bullpen blows it in the 6th, Phillies lose to the Cubs 10-4

Nola gave them five innings of grind-it-out baseball and left with the game tied. Then Tim Mayza made an errant throw to second base on what should have been an inning-ending double play, the inning stayed alive, he walked a couple of guys, and the Cubs scored four runs to take a lead they never gave back.

Final score 10-4. The Phillies are 8-9 and the bullpen is trending in the wrong direction.

Sunday it was Alvarado blowing a lead in the eighth. Tuesday it was Mayza in the sixth with the game tied. The error was technically credited to Stott but the throw was Mayza’s and that throw turned a potential double play into a four-run inning.

Those are the moments that decide close games and the Phillies have been losing them out of the bullpen consistently.

Nola was fine. Not great, not what anyone wants, but fine. Five innings, eight hits, three runs, five strikeouts. His command was night and day better than his last start. He posted a 78 percent first-pitch strike rate and threw 17 of his first 20 pitches for strikes.

The velocity is creeping back up with the warmer weather, his four-seamer up to 92.6 from 91.5, his sinker up 1.3 mph, and his knuckle curve generating a 46 percent whiff rate after sitting at 22 percent last time out.

He made big pitches when it mattered, struck out Seiya Suzuki twice with runners on to end innings, and gave the bullpen a chance to win. They did not take it.

Phillies fans are quick to blame Aaron Nola, but…

Aaron Nola man. Kills this team! pic.twitter.com/XZCaNr2HnQ

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) April 15, 2026

Edmundo Sosa hit a 442-foot three-run shot that was the loudest moment of the night for the Phillies. Outside of that the offense went quiet again after scoring 13 runs 24 hours earlier.

SOSA. CRUSHED. RING IT.#RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/17iR5YuVrh

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) April 14, 2026

That is the story of this team right now. One huge offensive night and then silence. Monday they looked like a World Series contender. Tuesday they looked like the team that got blanked twice in San Francisco.

8-9. Cubs finale Wednesday. Need this one.

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