Phillies vs. Cubs series preview

Two of the National League’s most exciting teams will face off this weekend.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs take on one another in what should be a pretty exciting series.

First pitch times for the games are 2:20 p.m. on Friday, 4:05 p.m. Saturday and 7:10 p.m. Sunday. Saturday’s game will be televised on FOX and Sunday’s game is this weekend’s choice for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

But, why else is this series worth tuning in to?

Cubs have been red hot

The fans on the North Side have been treated to some exciting baseball lately.

The Cubs are 4-1 on their current home stand, taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks and sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dating back to last weekend, Chicago has won four of its last five contests against Los Angeles.

Some games recently have been exhilarating. Last Friday, they defeated Arizona 13-11 in a game that saw 16 runs scored between the two teams in the eighth inning alone.

Then on Tuesday, they took down the Dodgers 11-10 in another back and forth game.

While Chicago’s pitching hasn’t performed well, their offense has come through and then some. Even when they’re down, the Cubs continue to be gritty, and you can expect more of that this coming weekend.

Phillies have been ice cold

It’s been a road trip to forget for the Fightin’ Phils.

After taking two of three at home against the Miami Marlins, they were swept by the New York Mets at Citi Field.

The Phillies looked pretty uninspiring during that series. On the mound, Aaron Nola received his fifth loss of the season and Cristopher Sánchez did not look like himself.

Zack Wheeler had a solid start but still gave up a two-run home run to an underperforming Brett Baty.

The bullpen hasn’t been much better. Offseason additions Jordan Romano and Carlos Hernández have struggled mightily, pitching to a 13.50 and 7.88 ERA respectively.

On Wednesday, Romano blew another save as the Mets rallied from behind to walk off the Phillies in extras.

With the offense also being outperformed each game, the pressure is on for the reigning NL East champs. Eyes will be on them to see if they can get it together.

Player to watch: Pete Crow-Armstrong

Let’s highlight some individual players.

The Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is emerging as the next star outfielder in the Windy City.

The former top prospect and 23 year-old has been stellar to begin 2025, posting a .294 batting average, five HR, 17 RBI and an .888 OPS.

According to Fangraphs, he has the sixth-highest WAR in baseball (1.5), behind Aaron Judge, Fernando Tatis Jr., Corbin Carroll, Pete Alonso and Kyle Tucker.

P.C.A. was acquired by the Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline from the Mets for Javier Báez, and it’s looking like that trade is starting to pay dividends for Chicago.

Pitcher to watch: Jesús Luzardo

You could argue that Luzardo has been the Phillies’ ace so far this season.

He was acquired via trade from the Miami Marlins this offseason after an injury-ridden 2024 season that saw him post a 5.00 ERA.

In 2025, he’s bounced back, lowering his ERA to 2.08 with two wins and a 1.09 WHIP.

His 36 strikeouts are only 22 shy of tying his total from last season. He racked up 19 of those in his first two starts of the year, amassing eleven against the Washington Nationals and eight against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Luzardo will pitch on Saturday, looking to carry his early season dominance into the month of May.

Top player matchup: Bryce Harper vs. Kyle Tucker

It’s always fun to watch two superstars go head to head, and that’ll be the case this weekend with the Phillies’ Bryce Harper and the Cubs’ Kyle Tucker.

At age 32, Harper continues to produce for Philadelphia.

So far this season, he’s batting .250 with five HR and 14 RBI, along with an .846 OPS. He also continues to be one of the league’s better defenders at first base in just his second full season at the position.

Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker has been amazing since being acquired by the Cubs this offseason.

In a contract year, he’s showing early signs of a career year in Chicago. So far, he’s posted a .314 batting average, seven home runs, 25 RBI and a 1.060 OPS.

While the sample size is still small, his average and OPS are career-best marks. He also is posting career highs in on base percentage (.423) and slugging percentage (.637).

Tucker continues to drive up the price of what will be a hefty extension either sometime this season or next winter.

Adam Pietrzak is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email app5940@psu.edu.