The Philadelphia Phillies (83-71) are on the road to face the Chicago Cubs (69-86) at Wrigley Field on Thursday with the home team in position for a sweep of the three-game series. The Cubs lead the series 2-0 after winning 4-2 on Wednesday, their fifth straight head-to-head victory, including all five games this season. Starter Hayden Wesneski went five innings, giving up one run on six hits, to get the win, and Manuel Rodriguez pitched 0.2 scoreless innings to pick up his fourth save. Christopher Morel went 1 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs in the win. Kyle Schwarber was 1 for 4 with a double and two runs for the Phillies, stretching his on-base streak to 17 games.
ON THE MOUND
Ranger Suarez (10-5, 3.38 ERA) is slated for the start for Philadelphia. The lefty threw six scoreless innings in his last start, a 1-0 road win over the Braves on September 22. He earned the win, scattering five hits while striking out four and walking two. Suarez is making his first appearance against the Cubs this season. Over two appearances (one starts) against the Cubs in 2021, Suarez was 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA over seven innings. He had 10 strikeouts and two walks. Lefty Javier Assad (1-2, 4.28 ERA) will take the mound for Chicago. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Phillies. In his last start on Friday, Assad took a no-decision on the road against the Pirates. He threw four innings and gave up four runs (3 ER) on four hits, striking out two and walking three in the 6-5 win.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Philadelphia has averaged 4.4 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 4.7. Against lefties like Assad this season, the Phils have a .769 OPS. Rhys Hoskins is the team’s strongest hitter against left-handers with a .976 OPS in 142 at-bats. Chicago is averaging only 4.0 runs per game in the last five, consistent with their season average. The Cubs have a .701 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a .887 OPS over 118 at-bats, Patrick Wisdom has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Philadelphia is on a six-game losing streak in road games, bringing their record to 36-37 in 2022. The Phils have scored 4.4 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.3 runs. Chicago has gone 33-44 at Wrigley Field this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.4. In the last 10 games between the teams at Wrigley Field, each club has won five, though Philadelphia has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 6.2-4.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Phillies are third in the NL East, 14 games behind the division-leading Mets. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting third with a magic number of zero. The Cubs are third in the NL Central, 20 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Philadelphia Phillies (-185)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
