The opening game of the series between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies could end up being an ugly one. It's entirely plausible that a Philly team which is 33-63 and down 19.84 units on the season could be a +250 or higher underdog, a situation which will end up making life really tough on live bettors as well.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The big issue here for the Phils is that they have Jerome Williams pitching against Jon Lester in this game. The last time he was on the mound, he was a +177 underdog in Baltimore against the Orioles.
That was back on June 16. The Phillies are worse now than they were at that point, they are playing against a better team, and Lester's name carries a lot more weight than the man who Philadelphia was trying to hit that day in Chris Tillman.
The main reason for this big spread though, is that Williams is a gas can. The man is 34-years old, and the only reason he is on the mound still at this point in his career is because a glorified Triple-A team like Philadelphia needs a veteran starter to try to go out there and throw every fifth day.
Williams has done so unsuccessfully. He has a 6.43 ERA, and the fact that he has spent the last month on the DL with a hamstring injury isn't helping matters for live bettors either.
Lester isn't going to get a lot of hits (1-for-73 in his career is enough demonstration of that), but in his primary job, he has been lights out of late.
Live bettors won't be fooled by the lefty's 5-8 record. Lester has tossed 7+ shutout innings in three of his last four starts, and he hasn't allowed a single run in innings 3-6 since was back on June 9.
It's almost as though the more Lester sees batters, the better advantage that he has on the mound, and live bettors should most certainly be aware of that in the middling innings of this game.
ADVANCED STATS
The Phillies remain a train wreck offensively. They have an offensive rating of -74.4 as a team per FanGraphs, which is not only the worst mark in the majors this year, it's the worst mark that any team has had in the last three seasons.
Go down the line and look at how bad this team has been offensively. It's amazing that there are seven regulars in the lineup who all have BABIPs of at least .300, yet this team still can't hit its way out of a paper bag.
With Maikel Franco still nursing an elbow problem, that's only going to magnify the issues for a team averaging 3.44 runs per game with a team OPS of .661.
TALKING BULLPENS
The Cubs use their bullpen a ton (though not as much as the Phillies are forced to), but Joe Maddon doesn't use his relievers for all that long generally speaking. He'll often play the percentages when he is given the opportunity to do so, and that has put his men in a great position to succeed.
Over the course of the last 30 days, the North Siders have been out of this world from a bullpen standpoint. They have a 2.49 ERA as a unit, and they have only allowed 0.48 home runs per nine innings.
Hector Rondon has once again become reliable as a late inning option, and though we're never quite sure who is going to come out of that bullpen, rest assured that all of the late game options, particularly against this woeful Philly lineup, are good for live betting purposes.
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs is scheduled for Friday, July 24, 2015 at 4:05 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. The contest will be televised live on WGN.
