The slumping Philadelphia Phillies return home on June 9, 2025, desperate to snap a 5-game skid against the formidable Chicago Cubs. Can their bats wake up?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Welcome home, fellas. After a brutal five-game road trip that saw them swept in both Pittsburgh and Toronto, the Philadelphia Phillies are back at Citizens Bank Park with one urgent mission: remember how to win a baseball game. Tonight, they begin a pivotal three-game series against the formidable Chicago Cubs, and the pressure is on to stop the bleeding.
The Phillies have struggled offensively during this stretch, scoring just 7 runs total across their last five games.
To say the bats have gone cold would be an understatement. The Phillies are mired in a five-game losing streak, and the primary culprit is an offense that has completely vanished. Over those five losses, the team has pushed across a meager seven runs. They were shut out once and held to a single tally in three other contests. Manager Rob Thomson is surely searching for answers as the lineup that powered them to a 37-28 record has looked lost at sea. A return to the friendly confines of home couldn't come at a better time.
Snapping the streak won't be easy. Their opponent tonight is the Chicago Cubs, who roll into town sporting a stellar 40-25 record and sitting atop the NL Central. Despite the Phillies' recent struggles, Vegas has installed them as slight -1.5 run line favorites for the 6:45 PM ET start. It's a sign of respect for how good this team can be, but they'll need to prove it against a top-tier opponent.
It's easy to hit the panic button during a five-game slide, but let's take a deep breath. According to Baseball-Reference, the Phillies still hold a respectable 40.7% chance of making the postseason. They remain second in the NL East, and the season is long. However, this homestand feels like a significant inflection point. A strong showing against the Cubs could stabilize their position and rebuild confidence, while continued struggles could see those playoff odds begin to dwindle. For the bettors out there, the Phils have been a mixed bag, going 33-32 against the spread and trending towards the under, which is no surprise given the recent offensive output.
Tonight is more than just the first of a three-game set; it's a chance to hit the reset button. A win against the Cubs could wash away the bad taste of the road trip and get the team back on track. A loss, however, would extend the misery and amplify the questions surrounding this offense. All eyes will be on the bats at Citizens Bank Park to see if they can finally wake up.
