In a rare departure from his Cy Young form, Phillies righthander Aaron Nola had an uncharacteristic off-day and his team followed suit.
Nola allowed three home runs (all solo shots) for only the second time in his career as the Phillies lost 8-1 to the Chicago Cubs before 36,517 on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.
The loss dropped the Phillies (72-64) to 3 ½ games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, pending the outcome of the Braves-Pittsburgh late-afternoon game.
Even on an off-day, Nola showed periods of brilliance. In 5 2/3 innings he struck out 11, the sixth time he has hit double-figures this season and eighth in his career.