Cubs vs. Phillies Live: Score Updates, Must-See Highlights & Standout Performances Tonight

The Chicago Cubs head east to face the Philadelphia Phillies tonight (Monday, April 13, 2026) at Citizens Bank Park, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET (5:40 p.m. CT) on FS1, Marquee Sports Network and NBCSP+. Both clubs enter the opener of this three-game set at 7-8, looking to climb back to .500 and gain ground in a tightly packed National League landscape. Pitching matchup • Cubs: RHP Javier Assad (1-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second start since replacing injured rookie Cade Horton. Assad spun 5⅔ scoreless innings of one-hit ball against Tampa Bay last week, continuing a career trend of steady run prevention — he has never posted an ERA higher than 3.73 in any big-league season. • Phillies: LHP Cristopher Sánchez (2-0, 1.65 ERA) follows up his 2025 Cy Young runner-up campaign with 23 strikeouts and zero homers allowed over 16⅓ frames to open 2026. His mid-90s sinker/changeup combo will test a Chicago lineup that has struggled versus left-handed pitching (.221 AVG). Storylines to watch 1. Offensive inconsistency: Chicago owns a +10 run differential despite the sub-.500 record, buoyed by multi-run bursts in 13 different innings this year. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has tallied just 53 runs — tied for 13th in the NL — and needs Bryce Harper (3 HR) and Kyle Schwarber (2 HR) to ignite a sputtering attack. 2. Hoerner’s table-setting: Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner carries a 14-game on-base streak (.340/.446/.528) into tonight. He homered off Sánchez in their last meeting in 2024 and remains Chicago’s catalyst atop the order. 3. Bullpen surge: Chicago relievers have not yielded an earned run in their past two games (nine innings, 11 K), while the Phillies pen has blown three of five save chances. Late-inning execution could decide a contest projected to finish around eight total runs, according to Vegas books. How to watch & stream • TV: FS1 (national), Marquee (Cubs market), NBCSP+ (Phillies market) • Streaming: MLB.TV (out-of-market), Fubo, Hulu + Live TV • Radio: 670 The Score (CHC), 94.1 WIP (PHI) Key numbers • Assad career vs. PHI: 8.31 ERA in 4⅓ IP (small sample). • Sánchez home ERA since 2025: 2.11 over 102 IP. • Cubs vs. LHP 2026: .221/.307/.367. • Phillies vs. RHP 2026: .224/.321/.357. Weather & setting A warm 79°F evening with light southwest winds favors hitters if the ball carries to the short right-field porch. Citizens Bank Park has averaged 1.26 home runs per game since Opening Day. Bottom line With identical records and contrasting pitching styles, “Cubs vs Phillies” promises an intriguing early-season litmus test. If Assad keeps the ball on the ground and Chicago’s bullpen stays hot, the visitors can steal momentum on the road; but a vintage Sánchez start backed by Harper’s power would tilt the opener to Philadelphia. Expect a tight contest that could swing on one mistake — and keep playoff-minded NL rivals jockeying in April.