Instant Replay: Cubs 8, Phillies 3

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CHICAGO — The home run ball continues to hurt the Phillies.

Jeremy Hellickson gave up three of them in an 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.

Phillies pitching has given up 40 home runs on the season. Entering play on Tuesday, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels were tied for most homers allowed in the majors with 38.

The Phils are 1-4 on this road trip with two games remaining in Chicago.

The Phils are 12-13 on the season, including 5-9 on the road.

Starting pitching report
Hellickson went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts in the month of April. He gave up just two home runs.

May started off quite differently for the right-hander. He lasted just four innings and allowed eight hits and six runs. Three of the hits were home runs, accounting for five runs.

Hellickson was tagged for four runs in the fourth inning, all with two outs. He was one strike away from getting out of the inning, but let opposing pitcher Jon Lester off the hook after having him 0-2. Lester began a string of four straight two-out hits, one of which was a three-run homer by Kyle Schwarber. Ben Zobrist capped the rally with an RBI double, a line drive that clanged off first baseman Tommy Joseph's glove.

Cubs lefty Lester held the Phils to four hits and three runs over five innings. He is 7-0 with a 1.64 ERA in nine career starts against the Phils.

Bullpen report
Mark Leiter Jr. ate up three innings of relief for the Phillies. He gave up two runs. Hector Neris returned to action after giving up three homers in the ninth on Saturday. With the Phillies down by five runs, Neris pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he would have used Joaquin Benoit to close if the Phils were in a save situation. He said he eventually wanted to get Neris back in a closing situation, but first wanted him to right himself in a setup role.

Carl Edwards Jr. pitched two scoreless innings for the Cubs. Hector Rondon and Wade Davis closed it out.

At the plate
Aaron Altherr continued to swing a hot bat. He homered in the first inning to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. Altherr also singled. He has 17 hits on the season and nine of them have been for extra bases.

Tommy Joseph walked and doubled in a run.

Maikel Franco went 0 for 3 with a walk. He is 0 for his last 13 and hitting .200. 

Franco is hitting .325 (13 for 40) with three homers, 16 RBIs, five walks and two strikeouts at home. On the road, he is hitting .109 (6 for 55) with one homer, five RBIs, five walks and 12 strikeouts.

The Phillies' 1-0 lead did not last long. Reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant homered with one out in the bottom of the first. Javier Baez gave the Cubs the lead with a homer in the third. The Cubs used five hits and a walk to score four runs in the fourth. Schwarber's three-run homer was the big hit.

Baez finished with four hits — two singles, a triple and a homer.

The Cubs out-hit the Phillies, 11-4. 

Health check
Aaron Nola said his back responded well to Monday's bullpen session. He believes he will be ready to pitch in a game later this week or early next week. Mackanin said the team would continue to exercise caution with Nola and that it was possible the right-hander would have to make a minor-league rehab start before returning to the rotation.

Nick Pivetta has been filling Nola's spot in the rotation. He will pitch Friday at Citizens Bank Park.

Meanwhile, Howie Kendrick reported progress with his oblique strain. He is swinging a bat and taking ground balls, some at first base. It's possible that Kendrick could get some time at first when he returns. That way Mackanin could continue to get Altherr at-bats as the leftfielder.

Up next
The Phils and Cubs play again on Wednesday night. Jerad Eickhoff (0-2, 3.56) pitches against Jake Arrieta (3-1, 4.66).

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