The Phillies went to Chicago and won another series, taking the first two of a three-game set at Wrigley Field over the Cubs.
The Phils never looked back after scoring five times in the second inning Wednesday on a two-run homer by Edmundo Sosa and a three-run shot from Nick Castellanos. They won, 8-5, for their 17th victory in the last 22 games.
The Phillies are 42-37 as they try for a sweep Thursday night.
"We're just playing relaxed baseball, and when talent is relaxed, that's when you get the most out of it," Castellanos said after the game.
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Aaron Nola was staked to a 5-0 lead in the top of the second, which probably generated groans from some fans in the Delaware Valley because twice already this season, Nola was unable to protect early 5-0 leads in losses to the Rangers and Dodgers.
Nola was not sharp Wednesday. Things got dicey again in the fifth inning when the Cubs pushed a run across and had the bases loaded with nobody out and Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger due up. Nola escaped the jam with two groundouts and a popup to end his outing up four runs.
The Phils tacked on two in the fourth inning on consecutive two-out RBI hits by Castellanos and Bryce Harper. They added another run in the fifth on Josh Harrison's second homer of the year. Those runs turned out to be important in giving Nola enough breathing room.
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It was a productive night for the bottom of the order. Alec Bohm, Harrison, Sosa and Cristian Pache were a combined 6-for-16 with two homers, three RBI and four runs.
Castellanos is not a finalist to start in the outfield for the National League but is charging toward his second All-Star Game selection. He's hitting .314 with an .857 OPS, 10 homers, 24 doubles and 49 RBI. He ranks third in the NL in batting average and doubles. He was robbed of a third extra-base hit Wednesday when Happ leaped to snag a deep line drive to left field.
The Phillies have Taijuan Walker on the hill Thursday at 8:05 p.m. opposite veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who specializes in ground balls and soft contact. Walker has been a major key for the Phillies over the last five weeks, going 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in seven starts.
The Phils have 10 games left before the All-Star break: one more in Chicago, three at home against the Nationals, then a six-game road trip to Tampa Bay and Miami that ends the first half.
Despite the strong month of June, the Phillies remain 10½ games behind the Braves, who just don't stop slugging or winning and actually now have a better record than the Rays. The Phils' most realistic path to the playoffs is as a wild card — they're 2½ back of the final spot — so there will be plenty of second-half focus on the Marlins, Dodgers and Giants.
The Phillies are 17-7 in June but the Braves are 20-4, the Marlins are 18-7 and the Giants are 17-7. Ground hasn't been made up in either race, though the flip side is they would be eight games back of the sixth and final seed had they played even .500 baseball this month.
