Trent Reinsmith
- Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2022
- Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL
- Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: Marquee Sports Network, NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB.TV
With the 2022 MLB season ending, the Philadelphia Phillies are holding on to the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Philadelphia has an 83-69 record on the year and they are 1.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres, who are looking to make it to the playoffs via a Wild Card bid. The Phillies look to keep their position in the 2022 MLB postseason race when they face the Chicago Cubs, who have been eliminated from the 2022 MLB playoffs, on Wednesday night in Chicago.
Before we look at the September 28, 2022, matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs, check out our 2022 World Series Betting Guide, as well as the best sites for betting on MLB in 2022.
Phillies vs. Cubs picks
| Teams |  |  |
| Philadelphia Phillies | -175 | -181 |
| Chicacgo Cubs | +161 | +148 |
Phillies vs. Cubs pitching
The Phillies will have Aaron Nola on the mound to start against the Cubs. The 29-year-old right-hander has been with Philadelphia since 2015. Nola has started 30 games during the 2022 MLB season. He has a 10-12 record on the year to go along with an ERA of 3.28, which is the second lowest ERA of his career. Nola has 218 strikeouts on 192.1 innings pitched this year. Nola’s most recent start was a 9-1 win over the Braves on Friday. He threw six innings and had eight strikeouts and zero earned runs.
Hayden Wesneski gets the start for the Cubs. The 24-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut earlier this month against the Cincinnati Reds. Wesneski. His first three pitches were all strikes after he came on in relief in the fifth inning. Wesneski’s second start of the season came on Friday. The young pitcher, who came to Chicago via a trade with the New York Yankees, threw an immaculate inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates that night. In the fifth, he threw nine pitches and picked up three strikeouts. Wesneski has 13 strikeouts in his two starts for the Cubs.
There’s not much to go on here with Wesneski, but the young man looks like the real deal. He’s throwing with confidence and I’m sure he wants to make a statement and give the team every reason to keep him in the starting lineup for next year. He’s more or less pitching for his job in 2023.
Pick: Chicago gets the nod in pitching over Philadelphia.
Phillies vs Cubs hitting
As a team, the Phillies are the fourth-best hitting team in the National League. The team has an average of .254 with 1,314 hits on the year and 195 home runs. Alec Bohm leads the team in batting average at .291 and hits with 160. Kyle Schwarber leads the team and the National League with 42 home runs. He is also first on the club with 87 RBIs.
Chicago is ninth in the National League in team batting average at .240. The team has picked up 1,232 hits and 151 home runs during the 2022 MLB season. Nico Hoerner leads the Chicago club in batting average at .290. As for home runs, Patrick Wisdom has the most for the Cubs with 25. Ian Happ leads the team in RBIs (70) and hits (147).
Pick: The Phillies are the better hitting team.
Our pick
The Phillies have scored 714 runs this season and given up 647. Meanwhile, the Cubs have scored 615 times and surrendered 717 runs. Philadelphia has a road record of 36-35 on the season. Chicago is 31-44 at home.
Philly is playing for a spot in the playoffs. I think they will be a motivated club. However, the last time these two teams played a series, the Cubs swept all three games.
The Phillies are coming off a tough run where they played Atlanta and Toronto for nine straight games. The team’s record during that stretch was 3-6, but the Cubs are not the Braves or Blue Jays. The Phillies are going to approach this series as a must-win and I think they get the victory on Wednesday.
Pick: Philadelphia Phillies to beat the Chicago Cubs.
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