John Lackey (4-2, 3.38 ERA) and Vince Velasquez (5-1, 2.75 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (33-14) and the Philadelphia Phillies (26-23) at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won the last game 4-1, and Chicago leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 2:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 29 and can be seen on CSPh and WGN.
Lackey pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out nine and walking one in a 4-3 defeat to the Cardinals. Ben Zobrist (.354, 35 Rs, 6 HRs, 32 RBIs, 2 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. Velasquez went 4.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out two and walking two in a 5-4 defeat to the Tigers in his most recent start. Odubel Herrera (.328, 28 Rs, 5 HRs, 17 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
The odds for Chicago and Philadelphia are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Cubs have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the NL in home offense with 5.2 runs per game. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 4.8 per game. Crossing over to the pitching and defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Cubs. The 0.0 runs that Chicago’s pitchers allow per game makes them the top staff in the NL. The Cubs are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.065 so far this season.
Offensively, the Phillies have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Phillies allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Phillies are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.217 for the season.
The Cubs have the edge in the season series, 2-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
The Cubs are coming into this game after allowing no walks during their last outing. The Phillies have a 2-5 record when opponents don’t give up any walks.
It looks like the Cubs have a slight leg up on the Phillies, as the Cubs have won their last four games while the Phillies have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cubs are 26-4. The Phillies have a 16-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th in runs, Philadelphia has earned 158 this season. Chicago ranks third with 266 runs.
Chicago ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 224 this season. Philadelphia ranks near the bottom at 27th with 118.
When the Cubs hit at least one home run, they are 26-5. When the Phillies hit at least one homer, they have a 20-9 record.
