The Phillies make the trip to Chicago to face the Cubs! These two teams are having very different seasons with the Cubs struggling to find any sort of consistency, while the Phillies are one of the best teams in the MLB. Our MLB odds series has our Phillies-Cubs prediction, odds, and pick for Tuesday.

Phillies-Cubs Projected Starters 

Michael Mercado vs. Hayden Wesneski

Michael Mercado (0-0) with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.00 WHIP

Last Outing: Pitched one inning and gave zero runs and zero hits with zero walks and one strikeout in a Phillies win.

2024 Road Splits: (0-0) 0.00 ERA

Hayden Wesneski (2-4) with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched four innings and gave up three runs on two hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a Cubs loss.

2024 Home Splits: (1-3) 3.38 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Phillies-Cubs Odds

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+152)

Moneyline: +100

Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-184)

Moneyline: -118

Over: 9.5 (+100)

Under: 9.5 (-122)

How to Watch Phillies vs. Cubs

Time: 8:05 pm ET

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TV: TBS

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Why The Phillies Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Phillies are one of the best teams in the MLB and currently have a 55-29 record. The offense is the third-best in the MLB, while their pitching is the best in the MLB. On offense, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos, and Alec Bohm have been the big standouts on a great offense. The pitching of Ranger Suarez, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, and Spencer Turnbull have made up one great pitching staff. The Phillies have been a force this season and have shown no signs of slowing down.

The Phillies are starting Michael Mercado on the mound where he has a 0-0 record, a 0.00 ERA, and a 0.00 WHIP. He has also only appeared in relief in one game this season. He allowed zero runs on zero hits with zero walks and one hit. The Phillies won the game he appeared in. With Mercado starting, this game is going to be a bullpen game for the Phillies which gives the rest of the lineup more rest. He does not have that much of a challenge against an average at best Cubs offense that has struggled to find consistency.

The offense for the Phillies has been one of the best this season. The Phillies are third in the MLB in team batting average at .259 after finishing last season at .256. Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper lead the way for the Phillies behind the plate in most of the batting categories. Harper leads in batting average at .303, in home runs at 20, and in OBP at .399. Then, Bohm leads in RBI at 68 and total hits at 95. This offense gets a difficult matchup against Wesneski on the mound for the Cubs because he has played well in relief and as a starter this season. The Phillies still present a huge challenge behind the plate overall.

Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cubs have a 39-46 record this season. They have struggled behind the plate and are in the middle of the pack overall on the mound. In comparison, their pitching is also in the middle of the pack. On offense, Michael Busch, Cody Bellinger, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Christopher Morel, Michael Tauchman, and Dansby Swanson make up an inconsistent and struggling offense. Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon are standouts for a pitching staff that has had to carry them at times due to how much the offense has struggled.

The Cubs are starting Hayden Wesneski on the mound where he has a 2-4 record, a 3.60 ERA, and a 1.16 WHIP. He has allowed 19 runs on 36 hits with 16 walks and 44 strikeouts through 45 innings. In his 21 appearances this season, the Cubs are 7-14. Wesneski has been solid for the Cubs on the mound this season. This will be a difficult matchup with how red-hot the Phillies have been on offense this season behind the plate.

The Cubs' offense has been inconsistent behind the plate and has struggled at times. They are 25th in team batting average at .228 after having a .254 one season ago. The offense is led by Cody Bellinger, Christopher Morel, and Michael Busch in most batting categories. Bellinger leads in batting average at .267 and in total hits at 75. Then, Morel leads in home runs at 15 and RBI at 45. Finally, Busch leads in OBP at .356. They get a favorable matchup against Mercado and the rest of the Phillies bullpen because their starting lineup has been the best in the MLB.

Final Phillies-Cubs Prediction & Pick

The Phillies are the better team in this game. They have a much better offense, but they are playing their bullpen which favors Wesneski on the mound for the Cubs. The difference is Wesneski in this matchup. He should keep this game close and help the Cubs cover at home, even if the Phillies still win a close one.

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Final Phillies-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs +1.5 (-184)