Cubs' series against the Phillies marks a pivotal early flip in the schedule

The Chicago Cubs avoided a disaster over the weekend, securing a walk-off victory on Sunday to avoid being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not exactly silver lining fans thought they would be hoping for just two weeks in the regular season, and now, the schedule takes a turn for the Cubs.

Divisions aren't won in April, but they certainly can be lost. The Cubs are in last place in the National League Central, but only two games back of the division-leading Pirates. For as bad as things have looked for the Cubs to open the season, the damage to their status as a contender has been minimal. Of course, Cade Horton's injury may shift the October expectations for the Cubs.

As the Cubs prepare for a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies this week, it's a reminder of the switch that has just been flipped in their schedule.

The schedule gets much tougher. The Cubs' next seven series are against the Phillies, New York Mets, a four-game set at Wrigley Field against the Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cincinnati Reds. All teams that are expected to contend this season, and all teams that have a better record than the Cubs at the moment, except the Mets.

Worst part about the Cubs' early woes is about to be felt.

What has plagued the Cubs through the first two weeks of the season has been the offense. The Cubs have enough hitters capable of putting together a good plate appearance that they should be able to score runs consistently throughout the season. The problem is that they may not have that one hitter who can truly change the course of a game. Essentially, the hitters that Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker were during the first half of the 2025 season.

There's a need for the bullpen to find its footing, but if the Cubs are going to struggle to take advantage of scoring opportunities, that could doom them over the next three weeks.

Overall, the good news for the Cubs is that parity has arrived across baseball. Entering play against the Phillies, they are only four games behind the Dodgers for the top spot in the National League. A reminder of just how early it is, and that how quickly things can change.

However, if the Cubs fall flat over these next seven series, the season may have already reached life support levels.

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