Phillies 3, Cubs 1: Good pitching — but no hitting

Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty ImagesAl Yellon created Bleed Cubbie Blue and has been its managing editor since 2005. His latest book about the Cubs is "Chicago Cubs Firsts." Find him on Bluesky at @bleedcubbieblue.bsky.social

The Cubs got some outstanding pitching from starter Jameson Taillon Sunday night at Wrigley Field, and then two good relief innings from Porter Hodge and Ryan Pressly.

But they could not get the bats untracked, and then a rough 10th from Julian Merryweather led to a 3-1 Phillies win over the Cubs. Result: The first series lost by the Cubs in North America this year. Yes, that’s right — the Cubs hadn’t lost a series since the two games in Tokyo over a month ago.

Let’s…