Despite rattling off five straight wins, the Chicago Cubs remain stuck at the bottom of the NL Central standings. They’ll look to keep the momentum going Monday as they open a four-game home series against the struggling Philadelphia Phillies, with Colin Rea (2-0, 3.63 ERA) facing Aaron Nola (1-1, 4.03) in a rematch of their meeting just last week.
The two clubs are heading in very different directions. Chicago capped a three-game sweep of the New York Mets on Sunday with a tense 2-1 extra-inning win, while Philadelphia dropped its fifth straight game as Atlanta completed a sweep of the Phillies with a 4-2 victory.
The Cubs’ current run dates back to a 10-4 blowout of the Phillies last Tuesday, which sparked an offensive resurgence. Pinch hitter Carson Kelly delivered a go-ahead three-run home run in Saturday’s 4-1 win, and Michael Conforto kept Sunday’s game alive with a ninth-inning RBI double. Pete Crow-Armstrong eventually scored the winner in the tenth on a Nico Hoerner sacrifice fly, handing the Mets their 11th loss in a row. Chicago now sits tied for fourth in the NL Central with Milwaukee.
Philadelphia’s struggles, mean while, have been severe. The Phillies finished a nine-game homestand at 2-7 their worst such stretch since 2009 and own the majors’ worst run differential at minus-38. They’ve been outscored 37-9 during the losing streak, and their 8-13 start is the franchise’s worst since 2015. Kyle Schwarber gave them an early 2-0 lead Sunday with a first-inning homer, but Philadelphia managed little else offensively and was denied a potential late rally when Ronald Acuña Jr. made a running catch to end the game.
“It’s inevitable at some point it’s going to change,” Schwarber said.
Rea and Nola crossed paths just last Tuesday, with Rea earning the win in relief while Nola took a no-decision after five innings. Rea carries a 3.32 ERA in his career against Philadelphia, while Nola is 7-2 lifetime against Chicago.
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