The Philadelphia Phillies host the Chicago Cubs on April 13, 2026. First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
The Phillies are favored by -190 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Cubs are +160 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Cubs vs Phillies prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Cubs vs Phillies Prediction
- Cubs vs Phillies Pick: Phillies Moneyline (-190 or better)
My Cubs vs Phillies best bet is on Philadelphia to win outright. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Cubs vs Phillies Odds
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -138 | 8 -112o / -108u | +160 |
| Phillies Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +115 | 8 -112o / -108u | -190 |
- Cubs vs Phillies spread: Cubs +1.5 (-138), Phillies -1.5 (+115)
- Cubs vs Phillies over/under: 8 (-112o / -108u)
- Cubs vs Phillies moneyline: Cubs +160, Phillies -190
Cubs vs Phillies Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Javier Assad (CHC) | Stat | LHP Cristopher Sanchez (PHI) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-0 | W-L | 1-1 |
| 0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.8 |
| 0.00/1.66 | ERA /xERA | 1.65/3.16 |
| 3.14/4.30 | FIP / xFIP | 1.06/2.02 |
| 0.53 | WHIP | 1.35 |
| 5.3% | K-BB% | 27.5% |
| 57.1% | GB% | 54.8% |
| 106 | Stuff+ | 114 |
| 100 | Location+ | 101 |
Cubs vs Phillies Preview
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
Due to all the injuries the Cubs pitching staff has suffered from, Javier Assad has been thrust into the Chicago rotation. His first start could not have gone better, picking up the win in a scoreless outing, allowing just one hit in 5 2/3 innings.
Assad’s pitching approach is basically to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. He throws seven different pitches, all to varying degrees of success. His sweeper is probably his most effective pitch, but he mostly relies on his sinker to keep the ball on the ground. Assad is not a big strikeout guy, instead relying on generating ground balls and soft contact by keeping hitters guessing.
Just like everybody expected entering the season, the Cubs currently sit in last place in the NL Central. While a big reason for the early struggles has been the pitching injuries, the offense has also started slowly. Chicago ranks 21st in wOBA and 22nd in wRC+. They sit in the top five in average exit velocity though, so they have at least been hitting the ball hard.
The problem is nearly every key bat in this lineup has been dreadful at the plate. Michael Busch has a .406 OPS after his breakout season last year, Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitting .203 and Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson are hitting under .200. The one bright spot has been Nico Hoerner who has a .911 OPS and nine walks to just six strikeouts on the year.
Philadelphia Phillies Betting Preview
The Phillies assembly line of elite starting pitchers has continued with Cristopher Sanchez taking over as the team’s ace and developing into one of the game’s best pitchers. He finished runner-up in NL Cy Young Voting last season after posting a 2.50 ERA across 32 starts. Sanchez tacked up 212 strikeouts in 202 innings, finishing second in innings pitched.
In the era of every pitcher expanding their arsenal year-after-year, Sanchez throws just three pitches and they are all nasty. He relies predominantly on his sinker, helping him to generate a 58.5% ground ball rate, and also has a slider and an elite changeup. His changeup had a 45% whiff rate last year.
Through his first three outings of 2026, Sanchez continues to dominate. He has a 1.65 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings and has allowed just three earned runs. His changeup has looked nasty, allowing just a .111 average against with a 61.9% strikeout rate. He already has 13 punch outs with his changeup alone.
Philadelphia’s offense has started shockingly slow as well. For all the talent in this lineup and after being able to re-sign most of their top bats, the Phillies rank 28th in the scoring to start the year. The team tends to be very boom-or-bust, where either they all hit or none of them hit.
We know what to expect from the stars at the top of this lineup, and rookie outfielder Justin Crawford has been a spark plug at the bottom of the lineup, but the middle of the order continues to be a major issue for the Phillies. Bryson Stott and Alex Bomb have both been terrible at the plate, and catcher JT Realmuto continues to decline offensively.
Cubs vs Phillies Picks
As great as Sanchez is all the time, he is especially dominant at Citizens Bank Park. Sanchez reaches another level at home in the City of Brotherly Love, pitching to a 1.94 ERA in 15 starts at home last year. He punched out 115 batters in 97 innings at home last year
Throughout his career, Sanchez has a 9.37 K/9 rate and a 2.68 ERA at home compared to a 7.69 K/9 rate and 3.92 ERA on the road. His BB/9 is a full run lower at home too. In two home starts this year he has allowed just one run and has 17 strikeouts.
Chicago’s offense has been slumping at the plate to start the season, with all of their top guys really struggling. Now you can look at the Cubs with some optimism as they have at least been hitting the ball hard, ranking top five in exit velocity and hard hit rate. They have definitely been a bit unlucky at the plate and a turnaround would not be surprising.
I just do not see that coming against Sanchez on Monday. Sanchez is able to generate a 58% ground ball rate by pounding the bottom of the zone with a 95-mile-per-hour sinker. He was fourth in the league in ground ball rate last season. Sanchez does not care if you hit the ball hard, because it is going to stay on the ground. He is either going to strike you out with his changeup, or you’ll hit a hard grounder to shortstop.
Philadelphia’s offense has been struggling just like Chicago’s but at least their top dogs are easier to trust right now. Schwarber, Turner, and Harper finally got going at the plate over the last week. Harper is hitting .526 with a 1.535 OPS over the last seven days.
Sanchez dominates at Citizens Bank Park and so does the Phillies’ bats. They averaged 5.3 runs at home last season compared to 4.2 on the road. Lay the bigger number with the Phillies at home with Sanchez on the mound.
Pick: Phillies Moneyline (-190 or better)
