CHICAGO — The Phillies played sloppy baseball in the bottom of the sixth inning Wednesday night and paid for it with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
The loss dropped the Phillies to 1-5 on the road trip, which concludes Thursday afternoon.
They are 12-14 overall.
The Cubs scored four two-out runs in the sixth to erase a two-run deficit. The Phillies helped the Cubs with a passed ball, a wild pitch and a poor throw in the frame.
Starting pitching report
Jerad Eickhoff pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and four runs. He walked two and struck out five.
Eickhoff allowed just two singles, two walks and a run through the first five innings. He took a two-run lead to the mound in the sixth and gave up a pair of one-out singles — a bloop and a groundball. He got the second out of the inning then gave up an RBI single to left on a 3-0 pitch to Jason Heyward. Manager Pete Mackanin went to reliever Joely Rodriguez. He seemed to cross up catcher Andrew Knapp and Knapp was charged with a passed ball as the base runners moved to second and third. That proved costly as both runners scored on a double by Willson Contreras. Both runs were charged to Eickhoff as the Cubs took the lead.
MLB
Eickhoff is 0-3 with an ERA of 4.00 after six starts.
Jake Arrieta (4-1) benefited from his mates' rally in the sixth and got the win. He pitched six innings of three-run ball. He gave up two runs in the first inning and just one the remainder of his stay.
Bullpen report
Rodriguez was charged with the Cubs' fourth run in the sixth. It scored on a hit by Matt Szczur against Edubray Ramos. Shortstop Freddy Galvis halted Szczur's hit before it rolled into center field and he had a chance to cut the run at the plate, but his one-hop throw hit the pitcher's mound and that allowed Contreras to score.
Ramos threw a wild pitch in the inning. It wasn't immediately clear if he crossed up Knapp on the pitch, but he may have.
Koji Uehara, Hector Rondon and Wade Davis combined on three innings of one-run ball to close it out for the Cubs.
At the plate
Maikel Franco had singles his first two times to the plate to snap an 0-for-13 skid. He and Odubel Herrera (double) drove in runs in the first inning. A fourth-inning single by Franco, a double by Brock Stassi and a sacrifice fly by Galvis accounted for the Phillies' third run.
After falling behind by two in the bottom of the sixth, the Phillies made it a one-run game in the eighth as Aaron Altherr smacked a two-out double and Franco followed with his third hit, an RBI single to right.
The Phils got no closer. They had a runner on second with one out in the ninth and could not get him home.
Ten of Altherr's 18 hits have been for extra bases, including seven doubles.
The Phillies have scored 28 first-inning runs, second in the majors.
Heyward, Contreras and Szczur drove in the Cubs' runs in the decisive sixth inning.
Health check
Aaron Nola headed home for an MRI on his balky back (see story).
Up next
The series concludes on Thursday afternoon with Zach Eflin (0-0, 1.89) pitching against Cubs right-hander John Lackey (2-3, 5.10).