Chicago Cubs vs Chicago White Sox — Mar 13, 2026 | AI Prediction & Stats

A pair of young left-handers headline the matchup: Jordan Wicks gets the ball for the Cubs while the White Sox counter with Nick Nastrini. Wicks has tightened his command this spring, flashing a sharper changeup that neutralizes right-handed bats—an important weapon against Chicago’s right-leaning middle third (Robert Jr., Vaughn, Ramos). Nastrini’s pure stuff is electric, but his 11.4% walk rate across two levels last year is exactly the sort of vulnerability the patient Cubs lineup exploits. Second inning: Christopher Morel ambushes a first-pitch heater, pulling it into the left-field seats for a 1-0 Cubs lead. Nastrini limits the damage, but his pitch count reaches 36. Third inning: Oscar Colás slices an RBI double into the left-center gap, cashing in Robert Jr.’s leadoff single to draw the Sox even at 1-1. Wicks strands two by punching out Ramos with a front-door sinker. Fourth inning: Nastrini loses the zone. A walk to Bellinger and a single by Busch set the table; Seiya Suzuki roasts a hanging slider for a two-run double to push the Cubs ahead 3-1. Manager Pedro Grifol turns to the pen early, calling on Tanner Banks to stop the bleeding. Sixth inning: The White Sox manufacture a run off Cubs reliever Keegan Thompson—Andrus works a walk, advances on a bunt, and scores on Robert Jr.’s sharp single up the middle—narrowing it to 3-2. Seventh inning: Nico Hoerner greets new reliever Steven Wilson with a line-drive RBI single, extending the Cubs’ cushion to 4-2. Eighth inning: The Cubs break it open. Dansby Swanson rips a two-run shot off a tiring Wilson, rewarding the decision to let Swanson swing away in a 3-0 count. Cubs now lead 6-2. In the bottom half, Eloy Jiménez answers with a towering solo homer to right—his third in five games—cutting it to 6-3, but Mark Leiter Jr. slams the door with back-to-back splitters for strikeouts. Craig Counsell hands the ninth to Adbert Alzolay, who records a clean three-out save, freezing Colás on a slider to finish it. Key factors behind the projection: • Offensive patience: The Cubs’ .338 spring OBP carries over, forcing Sox pitchers into high-stress counts. • Bullpen depth: Leiter Jr. and Alzolay form a superior late-inning tandem; the Sox pen remains unreliable outside of Santos. • Momentum and health: The Cubs’ regulars are in mid-season rhythm after deep playoff exposure last year, while the Sox are integrating multiple rookies and still sorting defensive alignments. End result: Cubs 6, White Sox 3, with Chicago’s North Siders leveraging plate discipline and a deeper bullpen to secure a controlled, wire-to-wire victory.