After Cozens' clutch HR, Phils fall on walk-off

CHICAGO -- After Dylan Cozens put the Phillies ahead by two runs in the top of the ninth, Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward hit a two-out walk-off grand slam to sink the Phillies, 7-5, on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.
Cozens wasn't even penciled into Wednesday night's starting lineup; he entered in the fifth inning when starting left fielder, Nick Williams, left the game with left wrist soreness. Cozens would soon find himself in the spotlight, hitting his first Major League homer off Cubs closer Brandon Morrow to put the Phillies ahead.
"It was an exciting moment for Cuz," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "An exciting moment for all of us to witness. I'm really happy for him to get the head out like that. We were all really surprised he was able to go oppo on that ball. Impressive stroke off a very difficult pitcher to square up."
The home run for Cozens was just his second career hit, and he also notched his first RBI and run scored.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs loaded the bases with one out. With Phillies reliever Adam Morgan seeking his first MLB save, Ben Zobrist then tapped it back to the mound. Morgan tossed home for the forceout. But the next batter, Heyward, lined a 2-2 pitch into the right-field bleachers for the walk-off.

"It was a bad pitch," Morgan said. "I had thrown two pretty good fastballs, so I felt confident throwing a fastball. Just tried to do too much with it. ... I felt confident facing Heyward, being lefty on lefty. It was just a bad pitch."
The Cubs scored three runs off Phillies starter Aaron Nola in the first four innings, but he settled in and recorded a quality start.

Meanwhile, Cubs starter José Quintana was in the midst of a 10-strikeout, 5 2/3-inning gem. But Aaron Altherr's three-run shot off Cubs reliever Steve Cishek tied the game in the sixth.

"Definitely a tough loss," Kapler said. "Good opportunity for us to bounce back tomorrow."
Kapler stressed that his team could learn a valuable lesson from games such as this one.
"I think it was a pressure-packed stadium all night long and especially live late in the game," Kapler said. "Our guys are prepared for it. Do we need practice? Yeah, of course we need practice. Are we developing? Absolutely. But these guys are already prepared and developed for the highest pressure situations."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Phillies starter Aaron Nola found himself in a jam during the second inning after giving up a solo home run to Anthony Rizzo. Nola then allowed a double to Willson Contreras, and one out later, Javier Báez reached first on third baseman Maikel Franco's throwing error, with Contreras going to third on the play. But Nola was able to induce a spectacular 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Albert Almora Jr., who lined the pitched off Nola's glove. The ball deflected right to shortstop Scott Kingery, who began the turn.

HE SAID IT
"I'm proud of the way we fought. I'm proud of the way we battled. You go down, 3-0, to a team like that with a really good pitcher on the mound on the other side and you fight your way back in it and take the lead. You give yourself an opportunity to win the game on the road at Wrigley Field against a very good Cubs team. I'm proud of our men. " -- Kapler
UP NEXT
The Phillies will send right-hander Nick Pivetta to the mound to face Tyler Chatwood and the Cubs in the series finale at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon. Pivetta is coming off one of his worst starts of the season, having allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in San Francisco. Pivetta had been on a roll prior to that start, however, allowing two runs or fewer in four consecutive starts. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET.