Matthew Boyd finally joined the party. Michael Busch left the premises for the first time this season. Ben Brown, the most reliable two-inning pitcher in a Cubs uniform, tacked a “W” next to his name for the first time in almost a year. And if you’re looking for somebody worth investing in on the prediction market, locker mates Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong might be just the guys.
The Cubs (15-9) won their eighth straight game Wednesday night, beating the Phillies 7-2 before a crowd of 29,951. “Go, Cubs, Go” is an earworm.
The Cubs had not won eight straight in April since the 1970 Cubs won 11 straight, 56 years ago. That team finished second place in an era where being runner-up didn’t buy you a wild-card invite. The lesson there? Enjoy how well your team is playing, but no need to set aside money for the playoffs just yet.
The Phillies (8-16), who have been October participants in each of the last five seasons, have lost eight straight, including their last four meetings to the Cubs by a combined score of 40-13.
They might one day view the rat who trod on their toes Tuesday with the same superstitious terror that fans of the ’69 Cubs had of the black cat that stalked Ron Santo near the Shea Stadium dugout.
Don’t believe in omens? Try telling that to the Phillies on a night that a ball originally ruled a home run, by Aroldis Garcia, was declared foul, center fielder Justin Crawford dropped a fly ball that acted possessed in the wind and the game ended when ABS changed Hoby Milner’s final pitch of the night to strike three on Rafael Marchan.
Boyd, who came off the 15-day injured list Wednesday, allowed two runs in 4‰ innings, ending his night by inducing Kyle Schwarb
