Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs MLB Point Spread Picks 5/23/2019

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Aaron Nola vs. Jon Lester

Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs (28-18, 1st in NL Central) play the Philadelphia Phillies (28-20, 1st in NL East) at Wrigley Field on Thursday, May 23, 2019. The Phillies open this matchup at +137 while the Cubs are coming in at -147. The O/U has been set at 9.

The Phillies have been a strong pick for wagerers, having gone 28-20-0 SU. Chicago is covering 60.9% of the time, going 28-18-0 straight up. The Cubs have been awful for Vegas as a favorite, going 23-9-0 SU. Philadelphia has went 4-5-0 straight up as the underdog, so they are covering 44.4% of the time.

Valuable Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Phillies have been an excellent Under bet for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 20-27-1.

Philadelphia is covering 50.0% of the time as the away team, having gone 10-10-0 straight up.

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

Chicago is covering 69.6% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 16-7-0 SU.

The Cubs have been a pretty good Over bet for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 24-22-0.

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

05/14/19 P Edubray Ramos Shoulder 10-day IL (05/13)
05/11/19 P Vince Velasquez Forearm 10-day IL (05/07)
04/25/19 CF Roman Quinn Groin 10-day IL (04/25)
04/20/19 P Victor Arano Elbow 10-day IL (04/19)
04/17/19 P Tommy Hunter Forearm 60-day IL (03/25)
04/15/19 P David Robertson Elbow 10-day IL (04/15)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

05/21/19 2B Javier Baez Ankle is questionable Wednesday vs Philadelphia Phillies
05/11/19 P Allen Webster Arm 10-day IL (05/11)
05/08/19 2B Ben Zobrist Personal is out indefinitely
05/08/19 P Pedro Strop Hamstring 10-day IL (05/07)
05/02/19 P Brandon Morrow Elbow 60-day IL (05/02)
03/25/19 P Kendall Graveman Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Tony Barnette Shoulder 60-day IL (03/25)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Phillies have a 28-20 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Aaron Nola has a 4-0 record with an earned run average of 4.47 and a WHIP of 1.55 this season. He has 60 strikeouts over his 52.1 innings pitched and he's given up 60 hits. He's allowed 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 159 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 163 hitters and walked 66 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.9. The Phillies pitchers collectively have given up 431 base hits and 189 earned runs. They have allowed 64 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 164 batters and struck out 406. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.42.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia is hitting .242, good for 21st in the league. The Phillies hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .309 with an on-base percentage of .372. He has 54 hits this season in 175 at bats with 20 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .469 and an OPS+ of 122. Rhys Hoskins is hitting .251 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .380. He has totaled 43 hits and he has driven in 36 men in 171 at bats. His OPS+ is 133 while his slugging percentage is at .509. The Phillies have 396 hits, including 96 doubles and 52 home runs. Philadelphia has walked 196 times so far this season and they have struck out 414 times as a unit. They have left 348 men on base and have a team OPS of .734. They score 4.92 runs per contest and have scored a total of 236 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 28-18 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.09, Jon Lester has a 3-2 record and a 1.26 WHIP. He has 42 strikeouts over the 43 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 45 hits. He's allowing 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.97. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.97 and they have given up 138 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 160 batters and walked 90 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.58. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 369 base knocks and 167 earned runs this season. They have given up 49 home runs this year, which ranks 27th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 183 hitters and struck out 412 batters. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.02.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 6th in the league. The Cubs hold a .448 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .347, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .275 with an OBP of .402. He has 47 hits this year along with 32 RBI in 171 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .556 with an OPS+ of 152. Willson Contreras is hitting .317 this season and he has an OBP of .419. He has collected 44 hits in 139 at bats while driving in 30 runs. He has an OPS+ of 170 and a slugging percentage of .612. The Cubs as a unit have 406 base hits, including 82 doubles and 69 homers. Chicago has walked 199 times this year and they have struck out on 409 occasions. They have had 342 men left on base and have an OPS of .795. They have scored 5.33 runs per game and totaled 245 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Phillies/Cubs MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Phillies +137

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink