Philadelphia Phillies vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/03/2024

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies -130, Cubs +110; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies -130, Cubs +110; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies -130, Cubs +110; Over/Under:  8 runs

Philadelphia Phillies:  55-29 (1st place, NL East)

Chicago Cubs:  39-46 (5th place, NL Central)

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Philadelphia Phillies:  6-4 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  3-7 last 10

The Phillies are entering this series off a win and split their 4-game series against the Miami Marlins 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-29 record overall and have a road record of 22-15. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Wednesday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .754 OPS. Rookie pitcher Michael Mercado is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Zack Wheeler is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 9-4 with a 2.73 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 5 Ks on 7 hits through 6.2 IP against the Miami Marlins.

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 39-46 record overall and have a home record of 22-18. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Phillies on Wednesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 22nd in the MLB with a .679 OPS. Hayden Wesneski is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while rookie pitcher Shota Imanaga is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 7-2 with a 3.07 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 3 strikeouts on 5 hits through 6 innings played against the San Francisco Giants.

The current betting odds have the Phillies listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Phillies have looked great in their games this season with their 55-29 record overall which has them leading the NL East with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They have also looked great in their road games with their 22-15 road record. Meanwhile, the Cubs haven't looked good in their games this season with their 39-46 record overall which has them at the bottom of the NL Central. They have looked better at home with their 22-18 home record, but they have been terrible over the last few weeks, even going 3-7 in their last 10 games. It is not going to help that they have Imanaga on the mound in this game too. Imanaga is 7-2 with a 3.07 ERA this year and was pitching very well to start his MLB career, but lately he has been falling apart, giving up a ton of runs in his starts lately. He gave up 3 earned runs in his last start and 10 earned runs in the start before that. The team has still won 4 of the last 5 games with him starting, but he is finally starting to regress in his rookie season. The Phillies are one of the best teams in the MLB at the moment and they are going to have their ace on the mound in this game. Wheeler is up for the Phillies and he is 9-4 with a 2.73 ERA this season. The team has lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting, but he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start and giving up very few runs has been a common theme for him this year. Wheeler is going to pitch another good game here while the Phillies offense gets to Imanaga for some runs since he hasn't been at his best lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Phillies to win this game. 

Phillies Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, July 3, 2024 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Phillies 4 Cubs 2.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Will be posted by 12pm ET, 07/03/2024.

Chicago Cubs: Will be posted by 12pm ET, 07/03/2024.

Philadelphia Phillies:  T. Walker (SP) - Index Finger. J. Realmuto (C) - Knee. K. Clemens (2B) - Back. M. Rucker (RP) - Hand. D. Covey (RP) - Shoulder. L. Ortiz (RP) - Ankle.

Chicago Cubs:  M. Leiter (RP) - Forearm. M. Tauchman (RF) - Groin. J. Wicks (SP) - Oblique. B. Brown (SP) - Neck. A. Alzolay (RP) - Forearm. Y. Almonte (RP) - Shoulder. D. Palencia (RP) - Shoulder. J. Merryweather (RP) - Shoulder. C. Kilian (SP) - Shoulder.

“This was a big one. We all needed it. I know they fight, I know they're resilient, I know they never quit.” - Rob Thomson after his team’s win against the Marlins in their game on Sunday.

“I kind of had a good bead on it, and it turned and moved a long way, kind of towards left-center there on its way down. I probably wasn’t in a great spot. I kind of thought it was going to be more up against the wall over there, and it got turned around. Obviously not my best moment out there and it puts Kyle in a tough spot.” - Ian Happ after their loss against the Brewers in their game on Sunday.

B Stott (L) 2B

T Turner (R) SS

A Bohm (R) 3B

B Marsh (L) CF

N Castellanos (R) RF

K Clemens (L) 1B

W Merrifield (R) LF

D Dahl (L) DH

R Marchán (S) C

N Hoerner (R) 2B

M Busch (L) 1B

C Bellinger (L) DH

S Suzuki (R) RF

I Happ (S) LF

C Morel (R) 3B

D Swanson (R) SS

P Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

M Amaya (R) C

Batting Average:  Trea Turner (.332)

Hits:  Alec Bohm (95)

Home Runs:  Bryce Harper (20)

RBI:  Alec Bohm (68)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (20)

Wins:  Ranger Suárez (10)

Saves:  José Alvarado (12)

ERA:  Michael Mercado (0.00)

Batting Average:  David Bote (.304)

Hits:  Cody Bellinger (75)

Home Runs:  Christopher Morel (15)

RBI:  Christopher Morel (45)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (15)

Wins:  Shota Imanaga (7)

Saves:  Héctor Neris (11)

ERA:  Jorge López (0.00)

Managers:

Philadelphia Phillies: Rob Thomson (3rd season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (1st season)