Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs Betting Preview

Wednesday features a matchup of two sub-.500 teams who are trying to keep their postseason hopes alive as the Philadelphia Phillies (41-42) take on the Chicago Cubs (42-44). The Cubs will host this one at Wrigley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 8:05 pm ET.

This will be the third of a four-game series between the two teams. The Phillies have won the first two games, including a 13-3 win on Monday and a 15-10 win on Tuesday.

In Tuesday’s win, Andrew McCutchen hit a first-inning grand slam while Bryce Harper and Jean Segura combined for nine hits. Harper also hit his 15th home run of the season. Jake Arrieta’s woes continued as he went just 1.2 innings and allowed seven runs. Javier Baez had two home runs in the win, but the Cubs’ offense just couldn’t make up for their pitching issues.

The Phillies are the favorites in Wednesday’s game despite playing on the road. They are -142 to win while the Cubs’ moneyline sits at +120.

Pitching Matchup

The Philadelphia Phillies will send righty Zack Wheeler (6-4, 2.05 ERA) to the mound Wednesday. In Wheeler’s last start, a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres, he received a no-decision after going 7.2 scoreless innings and striking out nine.

The Chicago Cubs will counter with Alec Mills (3-2, 4.85 ERA). Mills took the loss in his last start despite pitching well. In the 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Mills went 5.2 innings and allowed just two runs while striking out nine.

By The Number

Both of these teams rank in the bottom half of the majors on offense. The Phillies rank 16th, averaging 4.33 runs per game. The Cubs fall to 22nd averaging 4.12 runs.

Defensively, it is the Cubs with the slight advantage. They rank 14th in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of 4.29 runs per game. The Phillies rank 19th allowing 4.59 runs.

Phillies Try To Keep Division In Reach

Despite being just 41-42, the Phillies are within striking distance in the NL East. They are currently just four games behind the New York Mets with plenty of season left. Still, with the trade deadline looming, the Phillies want to try to close the gap in the divisional race.

Leading the way offensively for Philadelphia is Rhys Hoskins. Despite hitting just .237/.314/.494, he leads the team in home runs (20), runs batted in (53), and is tied for the team lead in runs scored (45).

Bryce Harper has also been hitting well as of late. In the last week, he is hitting .263/.318/.737 with three home runs and five runs batted in. Albeit in limited matchups, Harper has also had success against Mills, going two for two with a home run.

Cubs Desperate To End Losing Streak

Unfortunately, with their loss on Tuesday, the Cubs have now reached eleven straight games with a loss. In fact, with their rough stretch, they have fallen nine games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the division lead.
Javier Baez leads the Cubs in both home runs (21) and runs batted in (56) thus far this season. He is doing this despite hitting just .235/.283/.498.

Probably the best hitter for the Cubs this season has been Kris Bryant. Playing in a contract year, he is hitting .271/.352/.504 with 16 home runs, 43 runs batted in, and a team-leading 49 runs scored. Bryant is also three for seven in his career against Zack Wheeler. Ian Happ and Anthony Rizzo have both taken the righty yard in their careers.

Taking Wheeler And The Phillies To Win

At some point, the losing streak has to end for the Cubs. It is just hard to bet on them until it does, though, especially when they have to go up against a red hot Zack Wheeler.

In the first two games, the Phillies have shown they can certainly put up runs. On Wednesday, they may not need as many as Zack Wheeler is a hard guy to score against.

The smart money is to take the Phillies to win (-142) in this one.