Preview: Phillies look to avoid sweep vs. Cubs; Bailey Falter gets the ball for the 12:05 EST Peacock game

The Phillies take the field today at 12:05 EST looking to avoid being swept by the Cubs. Bailey Falter (0-2, 4.82 ERA) gets the ball for the Phils, going up against Drew Smyly (2-5, 4.22 ERA).
Saturday night’s loss was an epic collapse, as the Phillies surrendered five runs in the 10th inning due to bad defense and pitching. Zack Wheeler suffered the no-decision after throwing seven solid innings of one-run ball.
Talk about the pitching and defense all you want, but the Phillies lost that game because they recorded just one run against Marcus Stroman in six innings. Five total hits and 10 total strikeouts on the night isn’t going to cut it. This team is built to out-hit their opponent, and if they can’t do that, it’s going to be tough to win ballgames.
The blown 10th inning was only the second biggest story of the night. Following the game, Nick Castellanos and Jim Salisbury got into a heated exchange in the locker room. Check out the full video here.
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Bailey Falter vs. Drew Smyly
Bailey Falter takes the hill for the Phillies, currently holding a 0-2 record on the year with a 4.82 ERA. He’s K’d just 24 batters this season, holding a WHIP of 1.46. He’ll face off against former Phillie Drew Smyly, who is 2-5 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 49 innings.
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Phillies Starting Lineup
Lineup Notes: Rob Thomson tweaked the lineup pretty significantly today. CF Matt Vierling will lead off, pushing Schwarber back to the 2-hole. Castellanos moves back to the 5th slot, and JT gets the day off.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Team | Spread | Money Line | Total |
Cubs | +1.5 (-182) | +102 | O10 (-105) |
Phillies | -1.5 (+150) | -120 | U10 (-115) |
Prediction
I don’t even know if they win today; I just know that they need to win today.
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Mandatory Credit: Getty Images