Philadelphia Phillies VS Chicago Cubs will play in Philadelphia today to conclude a three-game series.
The Cubs won the Phillies 10-1 on Friday in the series-opening game, ending a five-game losing streak for them. Nico Herner came back from the injury list and had a pair of two-run doubles for Chicago.
Philadelphia on the other hand lost its fifth straight when they lost to the Cubs on Friday. The Phillies are feast or famine as they won five straight before losing each of the last five.
Chicago will play with five pitchers absent including position player Cody Bellinger. Philadelphia will play with two pitchers, including Darrick Hall, Rafael Marchan, and Cristian Pache absent.
For the MLB Predictions Today that covers Cubs VS Phillies, use MatchPlug, a Hot Prediction site.
Predictions and Betting Preview for Philadelphia Phillies VS Chicago Cubs MLB Regular Season
- Venue: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- When: Sunday, May 21st, 2023
- Time: 10:35
- Teams to play: Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs
- MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.96
Odds by 1XBet and BetMGM.
Betting On The Philadelphia Phillies
- 1XBet Spread: +1.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 1.96
- 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
- BetMGM Spread: +1.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 1.87
- BetMGM Over/Under: Under 8.5
Philadelphia Phillies is 10th in team batting average at .258 but is 11th in slugging percentage with .415, 16th in on-base percentage at .319 and 22nd in runs scored with 184. Kyle Schwarber leads Philadelphia in home runs with 10 but no other Phillies player has more than five round-trippers.
Alec Bohm leads in RBI with 32 and Nick Castellanos is second with 26. Schwarber has 10 home runs but his batting is only .172. Philadelphia has hit 84 doubles, 9 triples and 45 home runs in 44 games.
On the mound, the Phillies are 16th in Quality Starts with 15, 18th in WHIP at 1.34, 19th in batting average allowed at .252 and 2nd in ERA at 4.68. Zack Wheeler heads the team in strikeouts with 61. Three pitchers have each secured victories to lead the team. Philadelphia is yet to announce the starting pitcher for Sunday’s final game of the three-game series at home against the Cubs.
Betting On The Chicago Cubs
- 1XBet Spread: -1.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 1.98
- 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5
- BetMGM Spread: -1.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 1.95
- BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8.5
The Chicago Cubs is 10th or higher in four-hitting statistics. They are second in on-base percentage at .342, fourth in batting average at .267, 8th in slugging percentage with .432 and scored the 10th most runs with 216.
Patrick Wisdom has 12 home runs in 23 RBI to lead the Cubs in both categories, while Cody Bellinger is second in home runs but is on the injured list and Nico Hoerner is tied for first in RBI with 23.
Chicago has hit 75 doubles, 6 triples and 55 home runs in 44 games. They are 13th or higher in four pitching statistics. The Cubs are 4th in Quality Starts with 22, fifth in WHIP at 1.22, 7th in batting average allowed at .237 and 13th in team ERA at 4.06.
Marcus Stroman leads the team in strikeouts with 51. Chicago’s starting pitcher for today’s matchup, Justin Steele, leads the Cubs in wins with six and an ERA for starters at 2.44. Steele is 6-1 with an ERA of 2.44 and 47 strikeouts.
MatchPlug Prediction
The Cubs lost five of their last six overall, they lost five of the last six played on the road and seven of the last 10 versus a team from the National League East.
Philadelphia won 18 of its last 26 against the team from the National League Central and they won 39 in the last 58 played at home.
Chicago’s starting pitcher Justin Steele had a great first month and half of the season but struggled in all of the last two starts, allowing a combined 12 hits and eight runs in just 12 innings with the Cubs going 1-1 in those two matches.
The Cubs lost in two of Steele’s last four starts. The Southpaw permitted a total of four earned runs over his first five starts but allowed 11 earned runs over the last four starts.
