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The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies square off on Saturday with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Marcus Stroman (2-5, 4.69 ERA) will start for the Cubs and the Phillies will counter with Zach Wheeler (8-5, 2.89 ERA).
Chicago (36-57) could not have scripted a better way to start off the second half of the season. The Cubs kicked off a three-game series against the Phillies with a dominating 15-2 win on the road sparked by a late offensive barrage. Nelson Velazquez hit two home runs and drove in five runs while Willson Contreras hit a solo homer and a double. Chicago, which had lost nine of its last 10 before the All-Star break, generated 19 total hits in the emphatic victory.
Friday’s loss was a blow to Philadelphia (49-44) as it looks to gain some ground in the NL Wild Card race. After heading into the All-Star break as winners of three straight the Phillies responded with a poor defensive outing against the third worst team in the National League. Kyle Gibson failed to record a strikeout through 4.1 innings pitched, but the Phillies hope a bounce-back performance is in the cards with Wheeler on the hill Saturday.
Cubs vs. Phillies
Pitchers: Marcus Stroman vs. Zach Wheeler
First pitch: 6:05 p.m. ET
Cubs local broadcast: Marquee Sports Network
Phillies local broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Phillies -1.5
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Cubs +145, Phillies -170
Moneyline pick: Phillies -170
Friday’s 15-2 blowout may be an anomaly for the Cubs in the grand scheme of things and the Phillies should bounce back accordingly on Saturday. Philadelphia has its ace in Wheeler on the hill which means the Phillies have the advantage in the pitching matchup. The offense should follow up with a better outing, leading to a Philadelphia win.
Player prop pick: Darick Hall over 0.5 total bases (-175)
Hall went 1-1 with a homer and an RBI in Friday’s loss and should be in for another efficient day. He is hitting .267 against righties this season with four homers and five doubles. The track record favors him to go over his total bases against the Phillies.
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