BOX SCORE

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs’ red-hot offense had shown their ability to score regardless of the Wrigley Field conditions.

But on a frigid day with the wind blowing in, it was Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo who chilled the Cubs’ bats in a 10-4 win at the Friendly Confines. The Phillies (14-13) snapped their five-game losing streak with the victory.

[READ: Cubs trade Gage Workman, DFA’d after slow start, to White Sox]

Here are three takeaways from the Cubs’ (17-11) loss:

Luzardo limits Cubs

Luzardo kept the Cubs’ red-hot offense at bay – like he’s done against virtually every opponent this season. The left-hander pitched six innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. The two-run fifth was the only blemish on his line – shortstop Trea Turner misplayed a two-out grounder from Miguel Amaya and the Cubs would go on to score two runs on a single from Seiya Suzuki.

Other than that, it was clear sailing from the 27-year-old who was nearly a Chicago Cub this offseason. The Cubs and the Miami Marlins had a deal in place that would have sent Luzardo to Chicago, but they backed out of the deal due to concerns with the pitcher’s medicals the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Friday. The return was unknown.

A source confirmed to Marquee Sports Network in the winter that the Cubs were indeed interested in Luzardo.

That never materialized and instead, Luzardo went to Philadelphia for outfield prospect Emaarion Boyd and shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba. The Cubs pivoted and signed right-hander Colin Rea to a one-year, $5 million contract. He pitched five scoreless innings against the Phillies on Friday and has a 0.96 ERA in 18.2 innings across six appearances (three starts).

Luzardo was placed on the 15-day injured list in late April last season with left elbow tightness. He landed on the 60-day IL in late June with a lumbar stress reaction and missed the rest of the year. Luzardo finished 2024 with a 5.00 ERA in 12 starts (66.2 innings).

He had success as a starter in 2023, posting a 3.58 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP across 32 starts (178.2 innings) with the Marlins.

The Cubs lost co-ace Justin Steele earlier this month to season-ending elbow surgery.

Brown’s rough start

Ben Brown entered 2025 with plenty of promise. A freak neck injury curtailed his 2024 campaign where he had a 3.58 ERA in 15 outings (eight starts).

He’s struggled to replicate that success early on and had a tough outing against the Phillies on Saturday. Brown lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. All the damage came in a back-breaking, six-run fourth inning. Brown hit Kyle Schwarber to lead off the frame, then allowed four straight singles before recording his first out – a sacrifice fly that made it 3-0. The Phillies scored three more times and never looked back.

Brown failed to make it out of the frame, with manager Craig Counsell turning to lefty Drew Pomeranz to record the final out against Schwarber. Brown’s struggles come at an inopportune time for the Cubs’ rotation.

Do they need him to pitch seven no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts like he did in his third to last start of 2024? No, but they need him to keep them in games and preserve their bullpen. The 25-year-old has one quality start – six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 12 – and has pitched five or more innings just twice in his five starts (he had a relief appearance in the Tokyo Series).

The Cubs rotation is in a precarious situation. The starting staff has to weather the next few months after Steele’s injury because outside additions to that group just aren’t happening in April or May. Recording 12 or fewer outs – as he’s done in three of his four starts this month – just won’t help this Cubs team.

Turner’s slow start

Justin Turner was brought in this spring to provide a right-handed bench bat who could offer a platoon option to left-handed hitting first baseman Michael Busch against difficult southpaws, like Luzardo.

Turner was 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly in the loss on Saturday, playing first base and hitting in the No. 4 spot.

Turner hasn’t exactly done that early in the season – he’s 7-for-43 (.163 average) with a .446 OPS. It’s a far contrast from the .284 hitter he’s been throughout his 17-year career. He hit .259 with a .737 OPS, 11 home runs and 55 RBI in 139 games with the Blue Jays and Mariners in 2024. It’s not a difference-making bat, but the Cubs are confident that results can turn for the 40-year-old.

“I think in the [52]-plate appearance sample that we’ve had, I don’t think he’s produced the way he’d have liked to,” Counsell said before the game. “Confident that it’s coming. Confident that he can produce and expect him to. I think he’s in a range of still small enough samples that they can trick you really easily.”