Cleveland Guardians vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction 7-21-23 MLB Picks
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Guardians meet in game one of their three-game weekend MLB interleague series from Progressive Field on Friday night. Two teams with serious playoff hopes going head-to-head for three games? Sign me up. Let’s dive right into this one for the first time since the last time these two met, back in 2019.
Phillies Finish Flat vs. Brew Crew
The Philadelphia Phillies came out of the all-star break playing solid, winning four of five including a four-game series win over the Padres before being shut out by the Brewers in Thursday’s rubber match against Milwaukee by a final count of 4-0. That being said, the Phillies still sit at 52-44, tied with the Miami Marlins for the last Wild Card spot in the National League, but the Phillies have the advantage of two-games in hand over the Marlins. Kyle Schwarber has been leading the charge for the Phillies with 26 home runs while sharing the team lead in RBIs with Alec Bohm, both of whom have 59 RBIs this season. Nick Castellanos has added 14 homers and 57 RBIs and we’re seeing the emergence and development of Bryson Stott before our very eyes, leading the Phils with a .305 batting average and 109 hits so far this season. Ranger Suarez will make the start for Philadelphia here and is 2-4 with a 3.84 ERA and 62 strikeouts this season.
Guardians Fail To Sweep In Disappointing Fashion
The Cleveland Guardians finally got in the win column post-All-Star break with two wins against the Pirates, and convincing wins at that, but the Guardians blew the chance to sweep after a disappointing 7-5 loss in Wednesday’s series finale, wasting a decent start by Aaron Civale thanks to a complete and utter collapse by the Guardians normally sturdy bullpen. The Guardians offensively haven’t been anything special this season, as it just feels like there’s been more of an emphasis on small ball and winning lower-scoring games. Josh Naylor leads the Guardians with 15 home runs, 75 RBIs and also boasts a team-best .310 batting average while Jose Ramirez has a team-high 104 hits, 14 home runs, 54 RBIs and a .361 OBP this season. Gavin Williams will get the start for the Guardians and is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA and 23 strikeouts this season.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
The Guardians have won each of their last seven games at Progressive Field following a loss.
The Guardians have covered the run line in each of their last six home games following a loss.
The Guardians have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games as underdogs.
The 'Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Guardians' last three night games at Progressive Field.
The Guardians have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last seven home games against National League opponents.
Philadelphia Phillies Team Facts
The Phillies have won each of their last 12 games against American League opponents.
The Phillies have failed to cover the run line in each of their last four games.
The Phillies have led after 7 innings in each of their last four road games against opponents that held a losing record.
The Phillies have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games against opponents that held a losing record.
The 'Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Phillies' last three road games against AL Central opponents.
Philadelphia Phillies Player Prop Facts
Kyle Schwarber has recorded at least one RBI in each of the Phillies' last four games as favourites.
Kyle Schwarber has hit a home run in each of the Phillies' last three games against opponents that held a losing record.
Kyle Schwarber has recorded at least one hit in each of the Phillies' last 12 games as road favourites.
Ranger Suarez has recorded seven or more strikeouts in each of his last four appearances in night games.
Kyle Schwarber has recorded two or more total bases in each of the Phillies' last six games against opponents that held a losing record.
Kyle Schwarber ranks T5th in the league in Home Runs (26) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
The Cleveland Guardians ranks 1st in the league for strikeouts against this season (672).
The Cleveland Guardians ranks 30th in the league for home runs this season (71).
The Philadelphia Phillies ranks T3rd in the league for triples this season (19).
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of only 3 teams in the league to rank top 10 in both steals and batting average this season.
Chris’ Pick
I have to side with the Phillies in this game. Philadelphia is right now for my money the better team playing better baseball and they’re the team I trust much more in a spot like this. They’ve hit righties fairly well while the Guardians are not a team I trust offensively to begin with, but against lefties especially. The Phillies also hold the edge in the bullpen in my opinion, so give me Philadelphia here.
