MLB Picks and Predictions:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Friday May 24, 2019 8:10 PM EDT @ Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
This is a very intriguing matchup because these two teams are not only great on paper but they are playing a brand of baseball that is equal to the amount of talent. Also, this is a matchup that we might see in the playoffs much later in the year as both these teams are members of the National League and seem set to be in in the playoffs because they are playing exceptionally well.
The Phillies are currently leading their National League East division ahead of Atlanta who are 2.5 games behind. Their opponents, the Brewers, are not leading their National League Central division because the Cubs occupy the 1st spot but Milwaukee is only one game behind. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that these two teams will battle it out until the end of the season on who is going to win their divisions, but the losers shouldn’t be unhappy since they are almost certainly going to win one of the wild card spots in return.
Even though the records indicate the Phillies are the better team, overall stats paint a bit of a different picture. Hitting-wise Milwaukee has the upper hand as they have more hits but that means little when we look at the runs scored which show a similar number. What the Brewers lack is good pitching where Philadelphia has the upper hand overall. It once again proves that pitching is more important than hitting, even today.
Runline Performance
Milwaukee Brewers Form
When we speak about the Brewers it’s easy to say they are essentially Christian Yelich but there is more to them than him. With that said, one can’t undermine his value this season as he is on road to win another MVP award barring any injury. Cody Bellinger had an equally impressive start but has cooled since while Christian keeps on giving. He’s currently at 19 homers 41 RBI’s which is absurd when we add his .325 batting average.
Even with that absurd stat line, his team is still not nearly at their possible peak. The reason is simple, his teammates are lacking behind, especially the pitchers. While Milwaukee never had a great pitching staff, they weren’t expected to be this week. There is a lot more they can do and hopefully will because this team is loaded and can go deep in the playoffs if all the pieces fall into place.
In the last 5 games, they are 3-2 which is about where they have been all season long. Few wins and some losses here and there but mainly a positive record on a week-to-week basis.
Philadelphia Phillies Form
After securing the high profile signature of Bryce Harper in free agency the Phillies signaled everybody they were “going for it” especially since they brought in also several other good players such as Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura. When we add those players to players they already had like Jake Arrieta it makes a very potent team. Even though Bryce Harper is struggling a lot this season they still have a pretty good 29-21 record because other players are contributing at a level they might have not been expected too.
Even that success didn’t stop the short-tempered Philly crowd to start booing players after a few bad games. They responded accordingly and won 4 out of 5 easily sweeping a solid Rockies team in the process. They also managed to win against a good Cubs team which is always an encouraging sign.
Phillies – Brewers Past Meetings
For this matchup, we have a good sample size because these teams played once this year. That series came at a time where Milwaukee was in a better form overall and it was proven on the field. The Brewers won the series 3-1 pretty convincingly with the end results being: 4-7 6-1 5-2 11-3.
It’s pretty evident that Milwaukee had a good time swinging the bat while their Pitchers had solid outings as well never allowing a good hitting team like the Phillies to find their rhythm.
Phillies – Brewers Prediction and Pick
When it comes to the predictions you have to give an edge to the Phillies because lately, they have been pretty good overall, especially since their pitchers started pitching the way they are capable of.
The Brewers, on the other hand, have a solid stretch under their belt but they have also been struggling a bit lately. They are far better at home so that might swing some opinions into their corner.
For me personally, Miller Park doesn’t make a huge difference in anything other than over/under which should be on the lower side. When they played in Philadelphia Yelich was on fire which isn’t surprising considering the park does favor good hitters.
So when we take all into consideration I think the Phillies should be in a good position in this one. I expect them to win in a low scoring affair. We will have a good righty matchup as Jerad Eickhoff will face Jhoulys Chacin. Chacin is a very good pitcher but has struggled this season (3-5 record with 4.65 ERA). His counterpart has a better record (2-2) and lower ERA but has pitched a lot less so that stat doesn’t mean much. I expect them to settle in nicely in this one and keep the scoring on the other lower side.
Moneyline Philadelphia Phillies Total Under 7.5