Phillies

Cristopher Sanchez to the Rescue? Rinse, Repeat as Cubs Come to Town

By Chris Wright

Published: Apr 13th, 2026 · 1:52 PM EDT

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Want some good news? The 2008 Phillies started 7-8, too.

Time will tell whether this season ends as happily as that one but, for now, we’ll take optimism wherever we can find it.

It sure beats waiting on Alec Bohm to come around — or listening to the nonstop negativity after the Phils lost their second consecutive series. Ah, April baseball, where half of Delco is planning a Broad Street parade and the other half is calling WIP from a Wawa parking lot to mash the panic button. Bottom line? It’s early. Far too early to draw conclusions, even if the run-it-back jokes you hear every day equal the Phillies’ LOB total. You know. I know it.

The 2011 Phillies started 10-5, finished 102-60, provided almost no time to doubt … and flamed out in the NLDS.

The grind never ends, and it continues tonight when the Phillies welcome the Cubs to the Bank.

Cristopher Sanchez (1-1, 1.65 ERA) will throw the first pitch at 6:40 pm, ET. Sanchez hasn’t had a lot of success vs. the Cubs, allowing 10 earned runs in 8.2 innings, spread across 2 starts (0-1 record) in 2024. He didn’t face them last season. Cubs starter Javier Assad has only been marginally better vs. the Phillies. He’s 1-1 with a 5.84 ERA in 3 starts. He gave up 3 home runs in his only start at the Bank, also in 2024.

Can Sanchez stop another slide? In 2025, Sanchez was 7-4 with a 2.18 ERA in 16 starts following a Phillies loss. The team went 10-6 in those games.

Let’s dive into the PA sports betting numbers and find the best bets while Topper tries to find the best lineup.

Phillies vs Cubs Odds

Javier Assad vs Cristopher Sánchez 2026 Stats

Pitcher	W-L	ERA	WHIP	FIP	xFIP	K/9	BAA
Assad (CHC)	1-0	0.00	0.53	3.12	4.26	4.76	.059
Sánchez (PHI)	2-1	1.65	1.35	1.04	1.98	12.67	.277

Javier Assad vs Phillies

G	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
3	12.1	15	8	3	7	8	5.84	1.784

Phillies Hitters vs Javier Assad

Player	PA	AB	H	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS
Kyle Schwarber	8	5	2	0	0	.400	1.225
Bryce Harper	7	6	3	0	0	.500	1.071
Brandon Marsh	5	4	0	0	0	.000	.200
J.T. Realmuto	5	4	0	0	0	.000	.200
Trea Turner	5	5	1	1	1	.200	1.000
Bryson Stott	4	4	2	0	2	.500	1.250
Alec Bohm	3	3	0	0	0	.000	.000
Dylan Moore	2	2	1	0	0	.500	1.000
Adolis García	1	1	0	0	0	.000	.000

Cristopher Sanchez vs Cubs

G	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2	8.2	12	10	2	4	7	10.38	1.846

Cubs Hitters vs Cristopher Sanchez

Player	PA	AB	H	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS
Dansby Swanson	6	3	0	0	0	.000	.500
Ian Happ	5	5	2	1	3	.400	1.400
Nico Hoerner	5	5	2	1	4	.400	1.400
Alex Bregman	4	4	1	0	0	.250	.500
Dylan Carlson	3	3	1	0	0	.333	.667
Michael Conforto	3	2	0	0	0	.000	.333
Seiya Suzuki	3	2	2	0	0	1.000	2.000
Miguel Amaya	2	2	0	0	0	.000	.000
Pete Crow-Armstrong	2	2	0	0	0	.000	.000

Phillies vs. Cubs Predictions: Why the Under is the Smart Play

If you’re heading down to South Philly expecting an offensive fireworks show, you might want to seriously adjust your expectations.

The Pick: Under 8.5 Runs (-106 on DraftKings)

We are using a DraftKings promo code and confidently taking the Under because … well, have you seen these offenses lately?

The Phillies have a -16 run differential — and while you might want to blame that on the staff, the offense owns this one. The Phils have scored 53 runs in 15 games. Only 2 MLB teams have scored fewer.

At home, they’re hitting a meager .222 and generating just 3.78 runs per game. Not exactly the juggernaut offense everyone paid to see. Meanwhile, the Cubs are faring even worse on the road, swinging what look like wet pool noodles to the tune of a .213 away batting average.

Factoring in that Philadelphia games have hit the Under exactly 60.00% of the time over their recent stretch, banking on a low-scoring grind is simply the smartest situational value play on the board. Grab a cheesesteak, sit back, and enjoy what will inevitably be a glorious parade of groundouts and harmless pop-ups.

Kyle Schwarber Over 0.5 Home Runs (+320 at DraftKings)

If you read our game preview and still feel the overwhelming urge to invest your hard-earned cash in the local offense today, I can only admire your reckless bravery. But Schwarber has a proven track record against his former team, and we’ve already called one of his homers this season.

Schwarber is hit or miss. Literally. If he does happen to make contact instead of adding to his 24 strikeouts, it’s probably not going to be a seeing-eye single up the middle. With four home runs already on his resume this April, when he connects, that baseball is entering orbit. Throw a little pizza money on the Schwarbomb. If Assad makes one mistake and leaves a breaking ball hanging over the plate, Schwarber will turn it into a souvenir for someone in the second deck in right field.

Kyle Schwarber Hitting vs Cubs

G	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OPS
25	109	86	15	5	0	8	15	20	33	.174	.860

A Final Thought after 15 Games …

Relax, OK?

Season	Record	Final Record	Playoffs
2025	9-6	96-66	L NLDS
2024	8-7	95-67	L NLDS
2023	5-10	90-72	L NLCS
2022	6-9	87-75	L WS
2021	8-7	82-80
2020	6-9	28-32
2019	9-6	81-81
2018	9-6	80-82
2017	6-9	66-96
2016	6-9	71-91
2015	5-10	63-99
2014	7-8	73-89
2013	6-9	73-89
2012	7-8	81-81
2011	10-5	102-60	L NLDS
2010	10-5	97-65	L NLCS
2009	7-8	93-69	L WS
2008	7-8	92-70	World Series Champ