Cubs at Phillies 9/1/18 - MLB Picks & Predictions

Citizens Bank Park will play host to a Saturday night MLB showdown between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Last night, Chicago put together a nine-hit attack and could not come through in the clutch of a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia. SP Jose Quintana struck out seven batters across six frames and did not factor in the decision for the Cubs, who lead the NL Central Division by four games.

Chicago skipper Joe Maddon will turn to twenty-eight year old righty Kyle Hendricks (10-10 3.86 ERA) in this matchup. Last time out, Hendricks gave up just two hits over seven innings during a 9-0 victory versus Cincinnati. The Philadelphia Phillies have won consecutive games and are trying to get back on track after dropping eight out of ten. On Friday, Philadelphia IF Asdrubal Cabrera came through with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. SP Nick Pivetta struck out six batters over five innings for the Phillies, who trail Atlanta by two games for first place.

The Phillies will counter with twenty-four year old righty Zach Eflin (9-5 3.99 ERA) on Saturday. Through 106 innings, Eflin has struck out 98 batters and owns a respectable 1.25 WHIP.