Two Offenses In Slumps Should Continue Tonight

Cubs vs. Phillies, 6:45 ET

It was a decent enough weekend, but it was a very good week. We were able to cash much more often than we lost, and as I mentioned last week, I feel like I might've gotten a few of my looks a bit more solidified. Each season, there are a few teams or players I lock into and tend to play every five days. It took me longer than normal to find those looks this season. Let's see if I can keep these looks going as the Cubs take on the Phillies.

The Cubs have the best record in the National League. As a Cubs fan, this is great, and the surprise of their success isn't lost on me. I know a lot of people expected them to be one of the best teams in the league, but I was not one of them. Kyle Tucker seems to be the piece they needed, but perhaps more than anything, Pete Crow-Armstrong's emergence is what is setting the Cubs apart from the rest of the league. Now that they have two potential MVP candidates on the team, there is less pressure on the more average hitters to get everything done. This is probably the best lineup the Cubs have had 1-9 since the World Series roster. Their pitching is a bit of a question at this point, and they will need to upgrade during the year. For now, Matthew Boyd is one of the key rotation pieces. Boyd is 5-3 for the season with a 3.01 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Boyd is better at home than he is on the road, but still solid in the road gray uniforms. Boyd has five quality starts in the past six outings. Max Kepler is the only hitter who has a lot of experience against Boyd, going 2-for-20. The other two Phillies that have faced him are 3-for-8. 

Jun 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Phillies come into this game as one of the favorites to win the National League and even the World Series. While they don't have the best odds, they are still certainly a threat. The Cubs lineup is great, but so is the Phillies. They have a power hitter that is a threat to go yard every time he steps to the dish in Kyle Schwarber. Trea Turner struggled in the first half of last season, but has been great for the Phillies since. Nick Castellanos is a very talented hitter. Alec Bohm is a reliable hitter and Bryce Harper is a perennial MVP candidate. This team has a bit of everything even with some injuries. They are not playing great right now, having lost five straight and nine of their past ten games. Their hope today lies on the fact that they get Zack Wheeler on the hill. Wheeler is a potential Cy Young candidate, and he is 6-2 for the season with a 2.96 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He has been slightly worse at home than he has been on the road, but it really isn't a significant difference. He is coming off of his worst start of the season - one where he allowed six earned runs to the Braves in 5.1 innings. Cubs hitters haven't done overly well against Wheeler, going just 23-for-112 overall. Dansby Swanson has about 33% of the at-bats against Wheeler and he is hitting just .143 against him. 

If we just go by the pitching for today's game, you probably should play the under. In that case, you also should probably take Zack Wheeler as he is definitely the better pitcher. If you go by current form, though, the play gets a bit murkier. The Phillies haven't hit very well lately, and they have lost a ton of games. The Phillies will put their best foot, er, arm, forward in this one. The Phillies have scored just one run in four of their past five games, and the Cubs scored one or fewer in three of their past five. I have to take the under here, but I will say I have a bit more concern in this one than the average play. 

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