The Phillies have won four of their last five games and send National League All-Star pitcher Zack Wheeler to the mound looking to hand the Cubs a 12th consecutive loss.
Let’s jump into a look at the betting odds and make some Cubs vs. Phillies picks and predictions for this National League matchup on July 7, 2021.
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Let’s take a quick look at the current Phillies vs. Cubs betting odds:
Team | Odds | Moneyline | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Rays | +1.5 (-165) | +120 | O 8.5 (-110) |
Phillies | -1.5 (+145) | -140 | U 8.5 (-110) |
Wheeler would be in serious consideration for a Cy Young Award if not for his former teammate Jacob deGrom. The Philadelphia right-hander has logged quality starts in 13 of 17 outings this season. He has held his opponents scoreless in four of his last five starts, all Philly wins, making it seven times this season the opposition has failed to score a run against him.
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Wheeler leads all MLB pitchers with 139 strikeouts in his 114 innings pitched this season, also boasting the league’s fourth-best ERA (2.05) and ninth-best WHIP (0.94). It could be tough sledding for a Cubs team that has now lost 11 games in a row and 17 of its last 21. After all, Chicago has failed to score more than two runs in seven of the 11 games during that losing streak as well as in 15 of its last 22 games overall.
He has been solid on the road after dropping his first away outing of the season at Atlanta back in early April. Current Cubs are just 22-for-93 (.237) lifetime against the righty, but Cubs not named Jason Heyward are a mere 12-for-66 (.182) with 23 strikeouts and just four extra-base hits.
If Wheeler holds Chicago down again today, the Phillies should be able to do enough offensively to earn the victory. They finally have their best lineup healthy and have scored four or more runs in eight of their last nine games, averaging 6.2 runs per game during that stretch, including 13 and 15 runs plated in the first two games in this four-game series.
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Alec Mills will take the ball for Chicago. He will make his sixth start of the season, not having lasted more than 5 2/3 innings in any outing. That came lat time out five days ago in a game which also saw the righty throw 15 more pitches than he had in any previous appearance this season. On four days of rest between starts for just the second time this season, and off the heavier workload, the potential is there for Mills to struggle or catch a quick hook tonight.
Revisiting the Cubs losing streak for a second, since 2005, teams on 11-game losing streaks are just 2-9 against starters with 3.50 ERAs or better, including an 0-3 record when that pitcher’s ERA is 2.50 or lower.
Other trends to know include:
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There is likely a difference in mindsets for these two clubs as well tonight. While the Cubs are just trying to figure out what it takes for them to win a game, their collective psyche will surely be fragile against one of the league’s best pitchers. Meanwhile, the Phillies are playing with rare confidence and are trying to make a case to their front office that they should be buyers heading into the critical summer months.
Chicago has lost five of its last six games after dropping the first two games of a series. The team has also failed to win four of its last five Game 3s of series. With a 7-19 record in their last 26 games as underdogs, the Cubs could be in for another long night tonight against Wheeler and the Phillies.
Pick: Phillies (-134) over Cubs
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