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Phillies Extend Losing Skid, With Little Hope it Ends Tonight vs. Cubs
By Chris Wright
Published:
If you’re gonna do it, do it big.
The Phillies aren’t just losing. They’re losing big.
Monday night, they lost their 6th consecutive game, matching their longest skid since the 2021 season began.
Tonight, they have a chance to lose 7 straight for the first time since the 2019 season. No, that’s not a good thing, but at least they’re not the Mets, who have lost 11 straight.
Speaking of small blessings, Jesus Luzardo sure could use one. Brilliant last year. Awful thus far in 2026.
Tonight, Luzardo goes against Shota Imanaga. They matched up last week, too, and it didn’t go well for Luzardo, who allowed 8 ER in 5.1 innings.
Read on as we break down tonight’s game (7:45 pm, ET, NBCSP) and offer our best bets for PA sports betting apps and NJ betting apps, but just know, until something changes, nothing changes. (Re: Take the Cubs.)
Phillies vs Cubs Odds
The graphic above shows the best available odds and is subject to change
Phillies vs Cubs Predictions & Best Bets
If you enjoy watching professional athletes swing wet pool noodles, you’ll love the Phillies on the road this season. I’m backing the home team to comfortably cover the run line here, taking advantage of some heavily juiced value.
The Pick: Cubs Moneyline (-125 at BetMGM)
Let’s talk about that April 15th matchup between these exact two pitchers. The Phillies have looked like they were trying to hit a golf ball with a broomstick, while Luzardo has been getting absolutely shelled. Expecting a miraculously different result tonight is the definition of insanity.
The Phillies are 2-8 in their past 10, scraping together a microscopic 2.86 runs per game away from Citizens Bank Park. The staff ERA has ballooned to 4.87. Throwing Luzardo back to the wolves against Chicago feels like bringing a Wawa hoagie to a five-star steakhouse.
Meanwhile, the Cubs are quietly taking care of business, going 7-3 in their past 10. Their staff owns a much prettier 3.47 ERA, and they are casually plating 4.85 runs per game at Wrigley.
You could venture into the Total Runs market — and if you do, we recommend the Over 8.5 (-115 at BetMGM) — but why sweat it out?
A win’s a win. Or, in this case, another Phillies loss is your win.
Phillies Player Prop Picks & Predictions
Alec Bohm Under 0.5 Hits (+173 via DraftKings)
If you are looking for an offensive spark, avert your eyes from Bohm, who is sporting a “robust” .133 batting average and a completely terrifying .401 OPS. To make matters worse, he now has the distinct displeasure of stepping into the box against Imanaga; Bohm went 0-for-2 against him last week, but Imanaga is holding hitters to a .156 batting average. Bohm has looked lost at the plate this season. Meaningless singles happen, and could again tonight, but backing him to go hitless is practically a civic duty for Delco residents at this point.
Trea Turner Under 0.5 Runs (-133 via DraftKings)
While Turner typically is the engine of this offense, and he homered off Imanaga last week, Imanaga is capable of keeping him off the basepaths. With the lineup behind him struggling to string together hits or move runners into scoring position, Turner’s chances of racking up combined situational stats are grim tonight. When the heart of your order is grounding into double plays instead of driving in runs, taking the under on a combined production prop is just common sense.
Phillies vs Cubs: Inside the Numbers …
Shota Imanaga vs Jesús Luzardo 2026 Stats
| Metric | Imanaga | Luzardo |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 1-1 | 1-3 |
| IP | 22.0 | 22.2 |
| ERA | 2.46 | 7.94 |
| WHIP | 0.77 | 1.46 |
| K/9 | 12.68 | 11.91 |
| BB/9 | 2.05 | 1.99 |
| Opponent BA (OBA) | .156 | .301 |
| FIP | 2.18 | 2.87 |
| xFIP | 2.49 | 1.93 |
| Pitching WAR | 0.8 | 0.6 |
Jesus Luzardo vs Cubs
| GS | W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K | BB | HR | H | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4-1 | 48.1 | 3.54 | 1.10 | 54 | 15 | 5 | 38 | .211 | .641 |
Cubs Hitters vs Luzardo
| Player | Pos | PA | AB | H | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dansby Swanson | SS | 25 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .263 | .756 |
| Ian Happ | LF | 21 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .125 | .458 |
| Nico Hoerner | 2B | 17 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .294 | .824 |
| Seiya Suzuki | RF | 15 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .200 | .400 |
| Alex Bregman | 3B | 13 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 4 | .273 | 1.203 |
| Carson Kelly | C | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | .500 | 1.738 |
| Miguel Amaya | C | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .143 | .286 |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | CF | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .667 |
| Matt Shaw | 3B | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .600 | 1.800 |
| Michael Conforto | LF | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .200 |
| Michael Busch | 1B | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
Imanaga vs Phillies
| GS | W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K | BB | HR | H | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1-0 | 12.0 | 3.00 | 0.92 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 9 | .200 | .678 |
Phillies Hitters vs Imanaga
| Player | Pos | PA | AB | H | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adolis García | RF | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .500 | 1.167 |
| Trea Turner | SS | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .400 | 1.500 |
| Alec Bohm | 3B | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .200 | 1.000 |
| Edmundo Sosa | 2B | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .400 |
| Bryce Harper | 1B | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Bryson Stott | 2B | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .333 |
| Kyle Schwarber | LF | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Brandon Marsh | CF | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Dylan Moore | 2B | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| J.T. Realmuto | C | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Rafael Marchán | C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 4.000 |
Phillies’ Longest Losing Streaks Since 2016
The Phillies have been in worse slumps in the past 10 full seasons, but …
| Length | Year | Losing Streak |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 2018 | Sept. 20-28 |
| 9 | 2016 | June 14-22 |
| 8 | 2017 | June 7-14 |
| 7 | 2019 | June 16-23 |
| 7 | 2016 | May 27-June 2 |
| 6 | 2026 | April 14-Present |
| 6 | 2024 | July 28-Aug. 3 |
| 6 | 2023 | April 30-May 6 |
| 6 | 2019 | Sept 22-26 |
| 6 | 2017 | Aug. 13-18 |
| 6 | 2016 | Sept. 25-Oct. 1 |
| 6 | 2016 | Aug. 29-Sept. 4 |
Chris Wright is a 30-time APSE award-winning MLB, NBA and college editor with previous stints at the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer. He vacationed at the Vet, believes Chase Utley is a HOFer and moved to Clearwater to watch the Phillies year-round. His magazine portfolio includes working as a writer and editor at Baseball America.