Philadelphia Phillies Take on Cubs to Start Second Half

The Philadelphia Phillies welcome the Chicago Cubs to open the second half of the 2022 season.

Leo Morgenstern | Jul 22, 2022

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Philadelphia Phillies

Kyle Schwarber surely has some fond memories of his time with the Chicago Cubs.

The Philadelphia Phillies left fielder spent the first six years of his career in Chicago. In his sophomore season, he won a championship ring, as the Cubs finally ended their World Series drought.

Schwarber spent almost the entire 2016 season on the injured list, but he returned in the World Series and hit .412 with a .971 OPS in five games.

Perhaps that's why he hit so well against Chicago last season, posting a .971 OPS and smacking two home runs in just four games. It must be exhilarating facing his former team, especially a team with which he made such lasting memories.

Over the next three days, the Phillies will hope Schwarber continues to mash against the Cubs. Without Bryce Harper, Schwarber is the best hitter on the team, and he needs to stay hot if Philadelphia is going to remain in the Wild Card race.

Here's more of what you can expect in the upcoming three-game series between the Phillies and the Cubs.

Game One: Kyle Gibson vs. Justin Steele - Apple TV+

Kyle Gibson has made two consecutive quality starts for the Phillies. — Kyle Gibson has made two consecutive quality starts for the Phillies / © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Gibson was excellent against the Miami in his last start, going six innings and allowing just one run. He struck out five and allowed just five Marlins batters to reach base. It was his second quality start in a row, after a dominant seven-inning appearance in St. Louis the week prior.

He has been inconsistent at times this year, but Gibson should have the upper hand against a weak Chicago offense.

The Phillies will be facing 27-year-old Justin Steele, who is off to a great start in his first full big league season. In 17 starts, he has a 4.15 ERA and 3.40 FIP.

Steele has been able to keep runs off the board this year by preventing long balls, but his biggest weakness is allowing too many runners to reach base. His 1.41 WHIP is quite high, and he is walking more than four batters per nine innings.

Philadelphia's best plan of attack will be to draw walks, put the ball in play, and drive up Steele's pitch count. The young southpaw struggles with men on base and has not been nearly as good the second time through the order.

Game Two: Zack Wheeler vs. Marcus Stroman - NBCSP

Zack Wheeler will look to find his footing after a rough appearance in Toronto. — Zack Wheeler will look to find his footing after a rough appearance in Toronto / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Wheeler faltered in his latest start, allowing six runs in 4.2 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was less than ideal, but it's no cause for concern. The Blue Jays have a powerful offense, and Wheeler is still having an incredible season. In 17 starts, the Phillies' ace has a 2.89 ERA.

Stroman, meanwhile, is having a down year in his first season with the Cubs. In 11 starts, he has pitched just 55.2 innings. His 4.69 ERA is disappointing to say the least, one year after he led the league in starts and posted a 3.02 ERA.

He will be hoping to right the ship in Philadelphia, as he has had success there in the past. In 23.1 career innings at Citizens Bank Park, Stroman has a 1.93 ERA.

Game Three: TBD vs. Drew Smyly - Peacock

The Phillies have yet to announce a starter for Sunday's game against the Cubs. While both Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez will be fully rested and ready to go, Rob Thomson might opt to go with a spot starter or a bullpen game on Sunday so as to save Nola and Suárez for the upcoming series against the Braves.

Former Phillie Smyly is having a pretty good year in Chicago. Good enough, in fact, that he may find himself on another team after the August trade deadline. Philadelphia will hope to put a dent in his trade value on Sunday afternoon.

Series Outlook

Philadelphia should certainly win this series against a much weaker opponent, and hopefully a sweep is in order. The St. Louis Cardinals sit mere percentage points behind the Phillies in the Wild Card standings, and they will begin a series against the mediocre Cincinnati Reds this weekend. Philadelphia needs to keep winning to stay in a playoff position.

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Published Jul 22, 2022

LEO MORGENSTERN

Leo Morgenstern is a writer and editor for Inside the Phillies. He also writes for FanGraphs and Just Baseball, and his work has appeared on Pitcher List and Baseball Prospectus. He previously covered the Phillies for SB Nation's The Good Phight. You can follow him on Twitter @morgensternmlb.