Philadelphia Phillies vs Chicago Cubs Prediction MLB Picks 7/2/24

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs meet Sunday in MLB action from American Family Field. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Philadelphia Phillies vs Chicago Cubs Prediction.

Starting Pitching Matchup

The Philadelphia Phillies will send Michael Mercado for the start here and Mercado is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 1 strikeout this season. This will be Mercado’s first career start against the Cubs. The Chicago Cubs will send out Hayden Wesneski for the start here and Wesneski is 2-4 with a 3.60 ERA and 44 strikeouts this season. This will be Wesneski’s second career start against the Phillies.

Philadelphia Phillies Recap

The Philadelphia Phillies come into this series looking to build up some momentum after settling for a series split with the Miami Marlins over the weekend thanks to a 7-6 win over Miami in Sunday’s finale. The win kept a series unbeaten streak alive for the Phils after series wins over the Tigers and Diamondbacks over the last week and a half.

Phillies Looking To Keep Momentum Going

Alec Bohm leads the Phillies with 95 hits including 28 doubles, a .300 batting average and a team-high 68 RBIs while Bryce Harper has 20 home runs with 58 RBIs and Bryson Stott has a team-high 20 stolen bases. Kyle Schwarber has a team-high 17 home runs, 49 RBIs and a team-high 103 strikeouts as well this season. Johan Rojas also has 15 stolen bases as well this season.

Why the Philadelphia Phillies will win

• The Phillies have won eight of their last nine games as underdogs against NL Central opponents following a home win.
• The Cubs have lost each of their last four games as home favorites against NL East opponents.
• The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five games as favorites against NL East opponents.
• The Phillies have covered the run line in eight of their last nine games as underdogs against NL Central opponents following a home win.

Chicago Cubs Recap

The Chicago Cubs come into this set hoping to rebound from another series loss after losing Sunday’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers by a final score of 7-1. The loss to the Brewers added to Chicago’s series losing streak after falling to the Giants and Mets over the last week and a half.

Cubs Trying To Right The Ship

Cody Bellinger leads the Cubs with 75 hits including 13 doubles, 9 home runs and 34 RBIs. Nico Hoerner has 70 hits, 14 doubles and a .248 batting average while Christopher Morel has a team-high 15 home runs and 45 RBIs. Michael Busch has 10 homers with 30 RBIs but has 93 strikeouts as well this season. Ian Happ also has a team-high 18 doubles with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs but also has 89 strikeouts this season.

Why the Chicago Cubs will win

• The Cubs have won each of their last nine Tuesday home games.
• The Phillies have lost each of their last three games following a win.
• The Cubs have covered the run line in six of their last seven night games following a road loss.
• The Phillies have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Chicago Cubs Prediction

I’m on the Phillies here. I get why the Cubs are favored as Mercado only has one inning under his belt as a major leaguer, but the Phillies bullpen is still solid and is hitting right-handed pitching really well. I don’t love Hayden Wesneski as a starter, and he’s been getting hit hard lately no matter what appearance he’s made, starter or reliever. I think the Phillies have the better lineup here by a fair margin, so give me the Phils.