You almost never come away from a .500 road trip – no matter how good your team is – feeling like that was a bad trip. It’s hard to win consistently on the road, and going .500 on road trips is generally just fine.
… but this road trip is why we say things like “almost never” and “generally just fine.” This was not a good road trip.
With the Cubs playing terrible, post-trade-deadline Reds and Phillies teams, to come away just 3-3 is all kinds of galling. To have blown a late lead against the Reds, and to have lost after being given three runs in the first inning today … these things are not going to make for a happy week.
John Lackey looked as good as he could for the first four innings of this one, but the wheels came off in the fifth inning (thanks not only to Lackey, but also shaky defense), as the Phillies put up a five spot to leapfrog the Cubs, who failed to take advantage of a pitcher who had absolutely nothing in that first inning.
Just not a game you can feel too good about, and a road trip that leaves you feeling equally empty.
I can’t even enjoy the fact that we’re watching Rhys Hoskins do something utterly unfathomable, because he did it for three straight days against the Cubs. GO. AWAY.
And now all we have to look forward to is a ‘Game of Thrones’ season finale that, at best, will leave you desperately desiring more (and having to wait a year and a half), and, at worst, will be a horrifying equal of last week’s steaming pile of .500 road trip.