The Philadelphia Phillies (42-37) and Chicago Cubs (37-41) play the finale of a 3-game series in Chicago on Thursday. First pitch at Wrigley Field is slated for 8:05 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook‘s lines around the Phillies vs. Cubs and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Phillies lead 4-1
The Phillies beat the Cubs 8-5 on Wednesday for their 4th win in the last 5 games. They have outscored their opponents 21-13 over that stretch. Philadelphia looks for their 2nd series sweep in their last 4 series.
Chicago dropped their 3rd straight game on Wednesday night after losing 5-1 on Tuesday. They have been outscored by the Phillies 28-20 in their 5 meetings this season and will try to avoid being swept for the 5th time this season.
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Phillies at Cubs projected starters
RHP Taijuan Walker vs. RHP Kyle Hendricks
Walker (8-3, 4.10 ERA) will make his 17th start. He has a 1.24 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 in 83 1/3 innings.
- Last start: Win, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K in a 5-1 home victory vs. the New York Mets Friday
- Last start vs Cubs: No-decision, 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K in a 2-1 home win on May 21
- Has won 5 of his last 6 starts
Hendricks (3-2, 2.60 ERA) makes his 7th start. He has a 0.98 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9 and 4.7 K/9 in 34 2/3 innings.
- Last start: Win, 6 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K in a 8-3 road win vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 21
- Last start vs Phillies: No-decision, 3 2/3 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 K in a 17-8 road loss on Sept. 16, 2021
- Has won his last 3 starts
Phillies at Cubs odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:48 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Phillies -124 (bet $124 to win $100) | Cubs +106 (bet $100 to win $106)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Phillies -1.5 (+130) | Cubs +1.5 (-156)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Phillies at Cubs picks and predictions
Prediction
Phillies 4, Cubs 3
Moneyline
PHILLIES (-124)
While I don’t love paying the juice, it isn’t high enough to deter me from making the bet. Walker has a 5-1 record with a sparkling 1.71 ERA over his last 7 starts. Philadelphia has owned Chicago this season and the Cubs are 6-12 against the NL East this season.
Run line/Against the spread
PASS.
While I believe the Phillies will win, I’m not confident they’ll cover the run line as Hendricks has been good over his last 3 starts.
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Over/Under
I’m all in on UNDER 9.5 (-105). This number is entirely too high for this pitching matchup. Walker has not allowed more than 1 ER in his last 4 starts. Hendricks has allowed just 7 ER total over his last 5 starts. Despite going over on Wednesday, no way this game gets to 10 total runs.
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