CHICAGO — The Phillies ended a terrible seven-game road trip with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon.
The Cubs won it in the bottom of the 13th inning on a two-out throwing error by Freddy Galvis.
It was the Phils' second walk-off loss on the trip.
Galvis was trying to complete an inning-ending double play. He threw wildly to first, allowing Albert Almora Jr. to score the winning run from second.
The Phils squandered a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning Saturday night in Los Angeles when Hector Neris gave up three straight home runs.
In this game, they blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth.
MLB
Cameron Rupp had given the Phils a 4-3 lead with a solo homer in the top of the eighth. Reliever Joaquin Benoit let the lead get away in the bottom of the inning when he allowed a one-out solo homer to Miguel Montero.
The Phils got a good start from Zach Eflin. He pitched seven walk-free innings for the third straight time.
Despite holding a lead at one point in every game, the Phils went just 1-6 on the trip. They are 12-15 on the season.
Starting pitching report
Only six times this season has a Phillies starter gone seven innings. Eflin has done it three times. The right-hander scattered nine hits and struck out one. He has an ERA of 2.42 ERA in four starts.
Cubs starter John Lackey gave up nine hits, including a homer, and three runs over five walk-free innings. He struck out six.
Bullpen report
The Phillies' bullpen has been torched for 21 homers, most in the majors. It gave up five of them on the trip.
Jeanmar Gomez allowed three base runners in the bottom of the ninth, but put up a zero. He helped himself by picking Ben Zobrist, the potential winning run, off second base. He also pitched a scoreless 10th. Joely Rodriguez followed with scoreless work in the 11th and 12th. He rolled a double-play ball with a five-man infield to get out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the 12th. Rodriguez stayed on for the 13th and got the loss.
Pedro Strop got a huge out for the Cubs. He came into a tie game in the seventh with the bases loaded and struck out Tommy Joseph on four pitches.
Wade Davis pitched a scoreless ninth for the Cubs.
The Phillies threatened in the 11th. They loaded the bases with one out, but Cubs' lefty Mike Montgomery struck out Michael Saunders and got Andres Blanco to pop out to end the threat. Montgomery finished with three scoreless innings.
Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 13th and got the win.
At the plate
Cesar Hernandez had four hits. Aaron Altherr had three hits, an RBI and made a defensive gem of a catch in left field. Maikel Franco had a single, a homer and two RBIs. He has 25 RBIs on the season.
Rupp's homer was his second of the season. He went 7 for 17 on the trip.
Altherr is 8 for 16 over the last four games.
Addison Russell and Matt Szczur both had RBI doubles for the Cubs. Russell's came with two outs in the first inning. He hit a long fly over right fielder Saunders' head. Saunders did not appear to get a good read on the ball, which appeared catchable.
In the field
Altherr's diving catch in left field saved a run behind Eflin in the fourth.
Health check
Aaron Nola had an MRI on his ailing lower back in Philadelphia on Thursday. There was no immediate word on the results.
Up next
The Phillies return home to open a three-game series with the Washington Nationals on Friday night. Here are the pitching matchups:
Friday night — RHP Nick Pivetta (0-1, 3.60) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 3.09)
Saturday night — RHP Vince Velasquez (2-2, 5.47) vs. TBA
Sunday afternoon — RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.18) vs. RHP Tanner Roark (3-1, 4.04)