Every day of the MLB season delivers some level of excitement and drama, bit things start to get a little more intense the deeper we get into the season. With each team now down to about 40 games to play, the margin of error for those teams still in the playoff hunt is beginning to narrow. This is especially true in the National League, where the race for the two Wild Card spots is about as tight as it gets. Wins and losses all seem a little larger at this late stage of the season, especially when they come at the hands of another team fighting for a playoff spot.
That is what we are getting on Wednesday, night, as the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies play the second of a 3-game series, with the Phillies getting the win in the opener on Tuesday night. This is a must-win series for both teams, so look for the Cubs trying to even things up in this one. The Phillies are favored by 1 ½ at home, with the run total for this one set at 9.
Cubs vs Phillies MLB Odds, Game Info & Preview
- When: Wednesday, August 14 at 7:05 PM EST
- Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
- Starting Pitchers: Hamels vs. Nola
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: SiriusXM
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Odds: Philadelphia Phillies -110 (Total 8.5)
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Weather Forecast
- Scattered Thunderstorms: 25°C/77°F
- Humidity: 80%
- Precipitation: 41%
- Cloud Cover: 65%
- Wind: 7 mph NE
- Stadium Type: Open
Why bet on the Chicago Cubs?
It has been a bit of a strange season in the NL Central Division, with three different teams taking turns at the top. Right now, it’s the Chicago Cubs who are sitting at the top of the division, a game up on the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs are 6-4 in their last 10 games, but their last outing was a loss, going down 4-2 to the Phillies in the opening game of this series. With that loss, the Cubs are now 2-3 in the regular-season series against the Phillies.
The biggest issue for the Cubs this season has been their play on the road, where they are just 23-36 SU, not to mention 12-14 ATS as a road dog. With the Cardinals back on a hot streak, Chicago needs to find a way to win on the road. They will have Cole Hamels (6-3, 3,09 ERA) on the mound for this one.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.01
- Hits: 8.59
- Walks: 3.64
- Strike Outs: 9.04
- Runs: 4.36
- Hits: 8.42
- Walks: 3.15
- Strike Outs: 8.69
Why bet on the Philadelphia Phillies?
The expectations for the Phillies were high coming into this season, but I think it’s fair to suggest that they have underwhelmed. Overall, they are 3 games above .500 at 61-58, which has them sitting 9 games off the pace being set by the Atlanta Braves at the top of the NL East. The chances of them clawing that deficit back at this stage of the season are slim to none, so this is a team almost certainly looking at the Wild Card.
The Phillies are right in the hunt there, sitting 2 games off the pace, but with so many teams in that WC battle, there is very little margin for error. Philadelphia is just 4-6 SU in their last 10 games and is 23-30 ATS as a home favorite. They will have Aaron Nola (10-3, 3.67 ERA) on the mound on Wednesday.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.72
- Hits: 8.38
- Walks: 3.64
- Strike Outs: 8.75
- Runs: 5.00
- Hits: 9.11
- Walks: 3.39
- Strike Outs: 8.56
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Cubs vs Phillies MLB Betting Trends
- Cubs are 13-7 SU in their last 20 games played in August
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Chi Cubs’ last 15 games against an opponent in the National League
- Phillies are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games against an opponent in the National League
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 7 games at home
- Cubs are 23-36 against the money line in road games this season
- Phillies are 67-73 against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons
- Hamels is 0-0 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 2.750
- Nola is 2-1 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 5.11 and a WHIP of 1.216
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Cubs vs Phillies
This series has been back and forth all season long, so it would not be a surprise to see the Cubs even things up with a win here. I like Chicago to come away with the win on Wednesday night.
Score: Chicago Cubs 5 – Philadelphia Phillies 3
