Philadelphia Phillies vs St. Louis Cardinals Best Bet: Can Zack Wheeler and The Phillies Get Hot Early?

Philadelphia Phillies vs St. Louis Cardinals Best Bet: Can Zack Wheeler and The Phillies Get Hot Early?

The first Sunday night baseball of July features the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. Tonight's game is the series closer and is a rubber match between the two, with the Phillies taking game one before the Cardinals won last night 7-6. Who can take tonight's game and ultimately the first series of July? Let's dive into my prediction, best bet, and odds for Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals.

Phillies vs. Cardinals Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: July 3, 2022
• Game Time: 7:08 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN

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Phillies vs. Cardinals Line Movement

Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction

Zack Wheeler gets the nod for the Phillies tonight, and the ace is off to another exceptional season. Wheeler has had a sub-three ERA the last three years and is the most solid piece of the Phillies' rotation. Wheeler is 6-4 with a 2.89 ERA this season, and the Phillies have won six of his last nine starts.

Four of Wheeler's five starts in June were quality starts. Quality starts are almost automatic for Wheeler at home, as Wheeler has had six straight quality starts at home. Speaking of pitching at home, Wheeler is 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA at home over eight starts. Conversely, he is 2-2 with a 4.45 ERA on the road in six starts.

Another notable split for Wheeler is his success in night starts. Some pitchers struggle in day games, including Wheeler, who is 4-1 at night with a 2.06 ERA in nine starts, compared to a 2-3 record with a 4.81 ERA in five daytime starts.

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Tonight is a home start in a night game, which is right up Wheeler's dominant alley. The last time Wheeler faced the Cardinals was last season when he went eight innings with one earned run, and that start was on the road. I'm expecting another dominant start for Wheeler tonight.

Adam Wainwright starts for the Cardinals tonight and has been his usual veteran self. Wainwright is 6-5 with a 3.07 ERA, and the 40-year-old doesn't appear to be slowing down. However, he has lived up to his usual split, where he is a much better pitcher at home than on the road. Wainwright is 3-3 on the road with a 3.83 ERA, compared to 3-2 at home with a 2.25 ERA.

Wainwright started the year well on the road, but he also had starts against some of the worst teams in the MLB, like the Royals, Pirates, and Reds. Recently, Wainwright has struggled more on the road, getting hit for four earned runs in 4.2 innings in his last road start against the Brewers and four earned runs in 6.1 innings against the Red Sox.

The Cardinals hit four straight home runs in the first inning, scoring five total runs, and they still almost lost the first-five line. I highly doubt they put up five in the first inning again, especially against one of the best pitchers in the league in Zack Wheeler. The Phillies bats have been hot at home, and I like them to be leading after five tonight.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Best Bet

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