The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies continue their early-season series on Tuesday night in a matchup that comes with plenty of intrigue after a high-scoring opener. Philadelphia erupted for a 13-7 win on Monday, powered by timely hitting and a breakout performance from the middle of the order. Now, both teams turn to more stable starting pitching in what projects to be a tighter contest at Citizens Bank Park. Here, you can find my breakdown of Cubs vs Phillies on the diamond for Tuesday night.
Cubs vs Phillies Pick
- Pick: Under 9.5
- Confidence: 3 out of 5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies
- Date & Time: Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 6:40 PM ET
- Starting Pitchers: Riley Martin vs Aaron Nola
- Stadium: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- Broadcast: TBS
Key Storylines
- The Phillies are coming off a 13-7 win in the series opener.
- Chicago has dropped 3 of its last 4 games after dropping Monday’s series opener.
- Philadelphia snapped a run of three losses in its last four games with Monday’s victory, but has shown inconsistent offense overall
- The total is set at 9.5 runs in this contest, reflecting expectations of the potential for another high-scoring game.
Pitching Matchup
- Aaron Nola enters at 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA and 19 strikeouts across 17.1 innings.
- Nola has allowed 3 home runs and has been slightly vulnerable to power early in the year.
- Riley Martin is set to start this game on the bump for the Cubs. He has yet to record a decision or give up an earned run in his 3.1 innings of work early on.
Key Players
- Bryce Harper is hitting .276 with a .517 slugging percentage and strong recent form.
- Kyle Schwarber is slugging .618 and coming off a multi-home run performance.
- Carson Kelly leads the Cubs with a .317 average and .440 OBP.
- Ian Happ provides power for Chicago with 4 home runs despite a lower batting average.
Recent Team Streaks
- The Cubs are 1-3 in their last 4 games.
- The Phillies are 2-3 in their last 5 despite Monday’s offensive surge.
- Philadelphia had scored just 11 runs across 5 games prior to their opener against the Cubs.
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Phillies are 1-0 against the Cubs this season after Monday’s game.
- There were 20 total runs scored in the opener of this series, with the over hitting convincingly.
- The Cubs are 9-6-1 to the over going into this matchup from Philadelphia.
- The Phillies are 8-7-1 to the over after Monday’s over against Chicago.
Cubs vs Phillies Model Projection
- Score Projection: Cubs 5 – Phillies 4
- Win Probability: Cubs 54%, Phillies 46%
This matchup sets up as a classic case of public perception versus underlying value. Philadelphia looked dominant in the opener, but that performance came after a stretch of weak offensive output. Bettors often overreact to the most recent result, and that appears to be reflected in the current line favoring the Phillies. I think the under has value in this game with that in mind, as we should see both of these offenses regress somewhat.


