The Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies meet in MLB action from Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. Let’s dive into the odds, starting pitching matchup, history and make a prediction for this game.
Odds
Philadelphia is listed as a -165 home favorite while the Cubs are a +140 road underdog. The total for this game is set at 9 runs.
Starting Pitching Matchup
Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and is 0-2 with a 6.66 ERA and 26 strikeouts this season. Philadelphia will send out Aaron Nola here and is 3-3 with a 4.53 ERA and 43 strikeouts this season.
Matchup History
Chicago’s 10-1 win over the Phillies on Friday made it seven straight wins for the Cubs in this head-to-head matchup.
Trends
Chicago is 3-7 in their last 10 games against the NL East and 3-9 in their last 12 games against a team with a losing record while the under is 4-0 in their last 4 games against a team with a losing record. Philadelphia is 39-18 in their last 57 home games and 0-4 in their last 4 games overall while the over is 4-1 in their last 5 games against the NL Central.
Pick
I’m backing the over here. I’m not fond of either starting pitcher, and Jameson Taillon’s been giving up a lot of hard contact on his own. Aaron Nola was decent in his last home start, but he’s allowed four runs in back-to-back starts against the Cubs and I think when all is said and done here we have a game that gets into double-digits. Give me the over here.