We have another loaded slate of Major League Baseball games on Sunday's card, with our analysts targeting two National League matchups.
Kenny Ducey and Collin Whitchurch deliver their best bets, including a ick from the matinee affair between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, as well as the evening showdown that pits the Chicago Cubs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Check out their respective betting angles below.
MLB Odds & Picks
Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets
Kenny Ducey: If not for his old teammate Jacob deGrom, we'd be talking a lot about Zack Wheeler's Cy Young candidacy. The righty has been absolutely outstanding, pitching to a .236 ERA with 122 strikeouts to tie deGrom and rank second in the National League.
He's in the top 10 in barrels per plate appearance, and top five in hard-hit balls per swing among qualified pitchers. His .250 xwOBA is third among starters. Any way you slice it, he's been impossible to hit.
Speaking of "impossible" and "hitting," the Mets have been pretty bad at the plate if you haven't heard. They own the sixth-worst wRC+ over the past two weeks and, despite returning Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil in recent games, have still struggled to get the offense moving.
They will be up against it here against Wheeler, who you can back as an underdog on the road versus the much-worse Marcus Stroman. The veteran has been the opposite of Wheeler, allowing a ton of hard-hit balls and failing to miss many bats.
He's been great in his past three starts, and will pitch after leaving his last outing after just one inning due to an injury scare. Even if 100% healthy, you won't catch me dead fading Wheeler with Stroman. The Phillies have shown signs of life at the plate, and can get this done.
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Collin Whitchurch: This has been a low-scoring series and I don't see any reason that won't continue on Sunday Night Baseball, with Clayton Kershaw taking on the impressive young arm of Adbert Alzolay.
We all know how good Kershaw is and can be on a nightly basis, but it's worth noting the Cubs are merely around league-average (102 wRC+) against lefties. Kershaw has thrown a quality start in each of his last three outings, and he's been his steady, effective self for a majority of the 2021 season.
Alzolay has settled in nicely to a full-time starter role, and the most important thing for him — particularly against the Dodgers — is he's harnessed his command and won't allow a good deal of extra baserunners via the walk. Just twice in 16 starts this season, he's walked more than two batters and he only has 17 walks in 62 1/3 innings.
Both of these bullpens are strengths, and the Cubs have arguably the best unit in the entire league. The totals of the three games of this series have been 4, 8 and 5, and that trend will continue once again on primetime on ESPN.
Bet under 8 runs at -105 and do so up to -110 odds.
