Apr 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates his home run with first baseman Bryce Harper (3) against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Offensive Outburst For Phillies is Very Encouraging Sign

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Apr 14, 2026 10:00 AM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies came into their series opener against the Chicago Cubs in need of a win and to try to build some momentum. Fortunately, they were able to achieve just that.

It was a tough week for the Phillies against the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks from the National League West. On the road against the Giants, they lost the series and were shut out in the final two games of the series.

Upon their return home, they then lost the series to the Diamondbacks in two out of three games, resulting in a poor 2-4 week. For Philadelphia, the main issue against these two teams was rather clear, and that was that their offense was not playing up to par.

Even though the team hasn’t been terrible to start the campaign, they haven’t lived up to expectations just yet, and the struggles offensively are a major reason. Coming into Monday, it was hard to find many positives in the batting order, and the team has already had to shake it up a bit. However, against the Cubs, something finally clicked, and Philadelphia's offense came alive.

Very Encouraging Sign on Monday

While it is still early in the season, the performance of the offense has rightfully raised some concerns. This was a team that desired upgrades for their lineup and was largely unable to accomplish that. The Phillies have run it back in their batting order for the most part, and this is a unit that has struggled at times in recent years.

Even though the team has not done well offensively, one of the frustrating things when they struggle is looking at the talent that they have in the batting order. There are a lot of good hitters in this lineup, but sometimes things just don’t click.

On Monday, that was not the case. The Phillies were able to chase Chicago’s starter, Javier Assad, from the game after just 4.1 innings of work. He allowed nine runs on 11 hits and two walks. The main catalyst for Philadelphia in the batting order was Kyle Schwarber. The star slugger took Assad deep twice and helped set the tone offensively for the team.

The offensive barrage was one of their best games of the season, and it was encouraging to see. With some bad offensive performances, the pressure has been on this lineup to be better. On Monday, they proved exactly what they could do.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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