Comprehensive Cubs vs Phillies Prediction
Hello and welcome to our comprehensive Cubs vs Phillies prediction!
Game 3 of the four-game series between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies will take place on Wednesday. The Phillies have won the first two games of this series, and done so in blowout fashion. In fact, the Cubs have not only lost these two games, but overall, they have dropped 11 straight games.
The Cubs went from first place, to 42-44, and way behind Milwaukee in the National League Central. The wins for Philadelphia pushed them to 41-42 on the season, which is third place in the National League East. The Philadelphia Phillies are favorites in this game, as they are listed at -140.
Wheeler Looking to Stay Hot
Zack Wheeler will get the start for the Philadelphia Phillies, and he has been red hot as of late. The right-hander has struck out 139 batters this season and walked just 24. In his last five starts, Wheeler has struck out 39 batters. Five times this season, the right-hander has struck out 10+ batters in a game. In his most recent start against the Padres, he allowed just 4 hits over 7.2 innings.
The Phillies offense has been hit or miss nearly all season long. The Phillies are right in the middle of the league with their .239 batting average, and in the bottom third in home runs hit. The top sluggers for the Philadelphia offense have been Rhys Hoskins, Andrew McCutchen, and of course Bryce Harper. While Harper has missed time with various injuries this season, he still has clubbed 15 home runs and hit 11 doubles. Hoskins anchors the team with 45 runs, and 53 runs batted in.
It will be interesting to see what the Phillies do at the trade deadline, as they are right in the mix with the Mets and Nationals, and just ahead of Atlanta in the division. The Phillies finish the first half of the season at Boston, before opening against Miami after the All-Star Game.
Cubs Counter with Mills
Alec Mills, 29-year-old out from Clarksville Tennessee will get the start for the Chicago Cubs. Mills has made just 4 starts this season. In his last start, he went 5.2 innings, and allowed 2 hits and 2 runs. Mills has allowed 21 hits and 7 runs in his last four games, a total of 19 innings pitched.
For the Cubs, the losing streak started after the combined no-hitter back on June 24th. Since then, the Cubs lost three straight to the Dodgers, three more to the Brewers, three in Cincinnati, and now the first two against the Phillies. During the 11 game losing streak, the Cubs have been outscored 83-35.
Kris Bryant is having a nice season for the Cubs offense, with his .270 batting average, along with 16 home runs, 16 doubles, 49 runs scored and 43 runs batted in. Bryant leads the team in all of those statistics except runs batted in. Javier Baez is the leader on the team with 56..
Cubs vs Phillies Prediction
It’s hard to imagine at this point, the Chicago Cubs will ever win a baseball game. The Cubs are not only losing, but getting absolutely drilled. Now, they will face a hard-throwing righthander that strikes out a ton of guys. The Cubs’ offense strikes out a bunch. This is not a good recipe for success for the home team. Bryce Harper went red hot on Tuesday night, and look for that to continue in this one. The Phillies gave Aaron Nola plenty of support and will do so again on Wednesday. In the end – the bet to make in this game is the Philadelphia Phillies. Take the Phillies -140 on Wednesday over the Cubs.