4:10 pm
May 25

Phillies @ Brewers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Philadelphia Phillies (30-21)

@ Milwaukee Brewers (29-23)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Arrieta (PHI): 4-4; 3.77 ERA

Chacin (MIL) 3-5; 4.65 ERA

 

Last 10 Games Played:

Philadelphia Phillies: 6-4

Milwaukee Brewers: 5-5

 

Current odds:

Philadelphia Phillies: (+120)

Milwaukee Brewers: (-130)

 

• The Phillies absolutely need to make the playoffs this season. They spent a fortune in free agency, and Gabe Kapler’s seat will be very hot if they don’t live up to expectations. They started off so-so, but they’ve been picking things up recently. After starting the season 12-11 they’ve now gone 17-10 over their last 27 games. They’ve moved into first place in the NL East, and will have Jake Arrieta on the mound here as they look to keep it up here. Arrieta isn’t quite the Cy Young winning ace that he used to be, but he’s still very good. In his last start, he went six innings on the road at Wrigley Field and only gave up one run. That’s an even tougher environment than this, so I think he’ll be fine here.

• The Brewers came out of nowhere last season to suddenly become one of the best teams in the National League. In their follow-up campaign, they’ve looked pretty good so far. But while they enter at 29-22, they haven’t been that good recently. Over their past 11 games, they’ve gone just 5-6. They’ll have Jhoulys Chacin on the mound here, which doesn’t bode too well. The veteran righty enters with a 4.65 ERA, and he’s never been anything better than mediocre during his ten-year career. Not surprisingly, the Brewers are just 2-6 in his last eight starts. For what it’s worth, they’re also 0-5 in Chacin’s last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Brewers are also a bit banged up at the moment.

• The real reason to be excited about this Phillies team is that their lineup is heating up. Their best player, Bryce Harper, had been struggling mightily, but he now has two home runs in the last week and has hit safely in seven of his last nine games with several multi-hit games mixed in. When Harper is locked in, this Philly lineup is one of the most dangerous in the entire league.

• MVP-candidate Christian Yelich just came back from injury, but you never know when his back is going to flare up again. They’ll be missing starting third baseman Travis Shaw as he continues to deal with a wrist injury, subtracting a good amount of pop from the lineup.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Philadelphia Phillies
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