Chicago Cubs @ Philadelphia Phillies – Series Preview (June 9-11): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (40-25) dropped their first series in nearly a month when they lost two out of three to the American League-leading Tigers at Comerica Park. Chicago saw their offense stifled by a pair of Detroit starters in the two defeats. The three-city road trip finishes up with a three-game set against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia (37-28) put up a 23-6 stretch that started against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in April to move 17 games above .500 and briefly hold the best record in baseball. Then the bottom dropped out and they have just a single win in their last 10 games, culminating with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Pirates this weekend.
The Phils have a stacked lineup and still have the 10th-best team OPS in baseball (.721), but they have been averaging just three runs a game during their current slide. It’s no coincidence that slugger Bryce Harper has been dinged up over the past two weeks; first with a bruised elbow and now with wrist discomfort that has landed him on the injured list.
Old friend Kyle Schwarber is the best hitter in the lineup right now with 20 homers and a .928 OPS, although he is hitting just .160 with a single home run in June. Trea Turner gets on base a ton and is a major threat to steal when he does. Another former Cub, Nick Castellanos, is having a decent year at the plate and kills left-handed pitching.
The Phillies’ pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.01, the 19th best in MLB. The rotation has been pretty good with Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Taijuan Walker all having decent seasons. Wheeler has grown into an ace, and the Cubs will have to face him to begin the series.
Philadelphia’s bullpen has been bad and was thrown into chaos when closer José Alvarado was given an 80-game suspension for a PED violation. Jordan Romano took over the role, but has struggled mightily. It’s definitely an area Chicago could take advantage of with their talented lineup.
The Cubs sit at 3-3 on the road trip and could finish with a winning record if they grab this series. Even though the Phillies are playing their worst baseball of 2025 at the moment, they are still dangerous and demonstrated that when they won that series at Wrigley in April. Let’s see if the North Siders can answer the Liberty Bell and head home on a high note.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, June 9 at 5:45pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, June 10 at 5:45pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, June 11 at 12:05pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 6/9 | Matthew Boyd | 34 | L | 3.01 | 5-3 | 3.46 | 4.38 |
| Zack Wheeler | 35 | R | 2.96 | 6-2 | 2.92 | 5.22 | |
| 6/10 | Colin Rea | 34 | R | 3.59 | 4–2 | 4.32 | 2.53 |
| Mick Abel | 23 | R | 0.79 | 1–0 | 1.13 | N/A | |
| 6/11 | Ben Brown | 25 | R | 5.37 | 3-4 | 3.13 | 3.90 |
| Jesús Luzardo | 27 | L | 4.46 | 5–2 | 2.89 | 3.46 |
What to Watch For
- Matt Shaw has six hits in his last four games, including a home run.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong has been heating back up after a brief slump and is hitting .301 in his last nine games.
- Brown has allowed just two runs and struck out 16 in his last 13 innings pitched.
- The Cubs’ bullpen gave up just two runs against the Tigers.
