Philadelphia Phillies vs Chi. Cubs Cubs Picks and Predictions September 23rd 2024

From Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, we have the Cubs and Phillies facing off in an NL matchup. Monday’s matchup has a start time of 6:40 PM ET, and the Phillies are favored at -177 on the money line. The money line odds have the Cubs at +149. The over/under line is currently 8 runs.

The Phillies will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they are 92-64 and in first place in the NL East. The Cubs are +2 in the run differential and are 80-76 overall. Nate Pearson starts for the Cubs, while Aaron Nola goes for the Phillies. This game can be seen on MARQ.

Chicago vs. Philadelphia Key Information

The Cubs are sending Nate Pearson to the mound today, and he will be pitching out of the bullpen. Looking back at his most recent outing, Pearson pitched two-thirds of an inning and didn’t give up a run. He did give up a hit and a walk in the outing. Pearson didn’t factor into the decision in that outing. Before that, he had made three straight appearances and finished with a no-decision in each outing. Pearson’s ERA for the season is 4.71, and he has a record of 2-2. Opponents are batting .257 off Pearson this season.

Heading into today’s game, the Cubs offense is averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per game. Chicago is also one of the league’s top home run hitting teams, coming in 13th in the league. So far, they have the 12th best team batting average in the league.

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Over his last nine games, Michael Busch has three home runs, but he is hitting just .222 during that stretch. For the season, Busch is batting .252 with 21 homers. Ian Happ leads the team with 85 RBIs and is also the team’s leader in home runs (25). Seiya Suzuki is 2nd on the team with 21 homers and has a batting average of .279.

Right-hander Aaron Nola gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Cubs at home. Nola has made 31 starts this season and has a record of 12-8 with a 3.54 ERA. Coming into the game, his WHIP is 1.17, and opponents have a batting average of .237 this season. Nola has turned in 19 quality starts, and his most recent outing was against the Brewers, where he finished with a no-decision. In that outing, he went seven innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. Before that, he had lost three straight starts.

Heading into today’s game, the Phillies are 4th in the league in runs per game at 4.8. They have been even better at home, averaging 5 runs per game. Overall, they are one of the league’s top home run hitting teams, and they also have a team batting average of .257, which is 4th in the MLB. Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber have been the Phillies’ top power threats this season, with Schwarber leading the team with 36 homers and Bohm and Harper coming in with 15 and 29, respectively.

Bohm has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 6/20 in his last five games with two homers. Nick Castellanos is also swinging a hot bat for the Phillies, as he is on a four-game hitting streak and has gone 8/23 in his last six games.

Look for the Cubs to come out on top in this one, and we are leaning towards taking them on the money line. As for how we would play the over/under line, we would go with the over. This game is projected to have the 2nd most combined runs in today’s league slate, and the 5th most hits. However, this one doesn’t figure to have a ton of home runs, as it has the lowest projection in that category. Aaron Nola is 4th among today’s starters to pick up a win.

Phillies Get Another Shot at Clinching Division vs. Cubs

The Philadelphia Phillies will get one more chance to secure their most memorable National League East Division title starting around 2011 as they open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night in Philadelphia. Following a 13-year pause, the Phillies (92-64) are very nearly getting the division, with their enchanted number down to one. Be that as it may, they couldn’t secure the title throughout the end of the week, experiencing consecutive misfortunes to the second-place New York Mets, 6-3 on Saturday and 2-1 on Sunday.

Notwithstanding the mishap, the Phillies stay hopeful about enveloping things with front of their home group. Beginning pitcher Zack Wheeler communicated certainty after Sunday’s misfortune, saying,

“It’s disheartening, yet toward the day’s end, we can return home and win this thing before our own fans. Begin playing somewhat better once we return home and simply attempt to win these next couple series and go into the end of the season games hot. Turn the page. It’s not the end of the world.”

Nola Takes the Mound for Phillies

The Phillies will turn to Aaron Nola (12-8, 3.54 ERA) on Monday, hoping he can help them clinch the NL East crown. Nola rebounded in his last outing, delivering a strong performance against the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings while striking out nine in a no-decision. Nola’s command was sharp, a welcome improvement after two subpar starts in early September.

“Everything felt good,” Nola said after the game. “My command was pretty good. I felt like I was getting early outs. I went deep in a game. I feel like it’s been a while.”

Nola has a good track record against the Cubs, with a 6-2 record and a 4.69 ERA in nine career starts against them. He’s particularly been tough on some of Chicago’s key hitters. Dansby Swanson is hitting just .233 in his career vs. Nola, Cody Bellinger is 3-for-19 with eight strikeouts, and Ian Happ has gone hitless in 15 at-bats against the Phillies’ right-hander.

Cubs Look to Play Spoiler

The Cubs (80-76), already eliminated from playoff contention, will try to delay Philadelphia’s celebration by playing spoiler. They enter Monday’s game following a 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, powered by home runs from Mike Tauchman, Michael Busch, and Miguel Amaya. Pitcher Shota Imanaga was impressive, delivering seven shutout innings to secure his sixth straight win.

“We played a good all-around game,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the victory.

Nate Pearson (2-2, 4.71 ERA) will get the start for the Cubs on Monday, making his first start since 2021. Primarily a reliever throughout his career, Pearson has started just five times in 109 appearances. The 28-year-old righty will look to contain a Phillies lineup that features hot bats like Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner. Castellanos had seven hits in the four-game series against the Mets, and Turner has hit safely in seven of his past eight games.

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While the Cubs no longer have playoff implications, Counsell emphasized that the team’s approach and effort won’t change. “Nothing changes,” Counsell said. “You just go out and you play the game, and you respect the game, and you respect your teammates, and that’s it. That’s what you do.”

Phillies’ Last Series vs. Cubs

The Phillies and Cubs last met toward the beginning of July at Wrigley Field, where Philadelphia dominated two of three matches. The initial two games were close triumphs for the Phillies before the Cubs answered with a 10-2 victory in the series finale.

Philadelphia will be looking to at long last secure the division on Monday night and stay away from any further postpones in their mission to catch the NL East crown. In the interim, Chicago will mean to keep playing extreme and ruin the Phillies’ festivals for somewhere around another evening.