Cleveland Guardians vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, 5/22/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cleveland Guardians vs Philadelphia Phillies

Date: Friday, May 22, 2026

Location: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (+106) Philadelphia (-128)

The Cleveland Guardians (29-22) are hitting the road to Citizens Bank Park on Friday where they will take on the Philadelphia Phillies (25-25). The moneyline on this game has Cleveland at +106 and Philadelphia is at -128. The total has been set at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start are Gavin Williams and Cristopher Sanchez.

The Guardians have hit 79 two-baggers as a squad and have smacked 52 balls out of the stadium. Cleveland is slugging .377 and have been called out on strikes 381 times, while drawing a walk on 224 occasions. As a squad, the Cleveland Guardians are scoring 4.4 runs per game, which has them sitting at 15th in baseball. They have earned 215 runs batted in in addition to 385 base knocks this year, while their batting average is .231. They have accumulated 225 runs and hold an OBP of .326.

Get all of our MLB Expert Picks

The Guardians hold a team ERA of 3.72 on the year (9th in MLB), and they have rung up 471 hitters. Guardians pitchers have surrendered 58 home runs and 204 runs in total (10th in MLB). Their pitching staff has walked 175 hitters and their FIP comes in at 3.97 as a unit for the season. Cleveland has allowed 396 hits (7.9 per 9 innings) and 187 earned runs. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 2.69 and the pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.26.

Guardians pitchers have entered the contest with players on base 48 times as well as having 59 appearances in high leverage situations. The bullpen have tallied 41 holds for the year (2nd in the league). The Guardians relievers have recorded a save percentage of 81.8% and have come into the game in 64 save situations. They have recorded 18 saves this season and have missed out on 4 of their 22 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 77 runners this year with 24.7% of those runners ended up scoring. The Guardians have dispatched 166 relief pitchers to the hill so far this season.

The Cleveland Guardians have earned 1,357 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 390 assists and 20 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .989 which puts them in 7th in pro baseball, and have accumulated 38 double plays. The Guardians have transformed 70.3% of balls in play into outs out of their 4,071 innings on the field, which has them sitting at 15th in pro baseball.

Williams has thrown 386 frames and has earned 406 strikeouts thus far in his career. His ERA is 3.56 (153 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.276. He has given up 319 hits (7.4 hits per 9 innings) and has 174 walks. Williams (24-23 career mark) holds a FIP of 3.51 while he has gone up against 1,631 hitters during his time in the majors.

The Phillies have a team slugging percentage of .393 and they are recording 4.18 runs per contest (20th in MLB). They have recorded 71 two-baggers, while walking 149 times and putting up 209 runs. Philadelphia has compiled 62 home runs this season as well as 205 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 413 occasions (16th in baseball) and have earned a total of 392 base knocks. The Philadelphia Phillies have compiled an on-base percentage of .300 and a batting average of .231 so far this year.

The Phillies have a WHIP of 1.355 and have a FIP of 3.47 as a squad so far this year. They have a ranking of 29th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 464. The Philadelphia pitching staff have surrendered 233 runs this year while having an ERA of 4.31 (214 earned runs yielded). They currently have a K/BB ratio of 9.60 (476 strikeouts vs 142 free passes). They have given up 48 homers and they surrender 4.69 runs per 9 innings (20th in MLB).

With 32 save situations, the Phillies have accrued 15 holds and 5 blown saves. Philadelphia has had bullpen pitchers step onto the hill in 17 save opportunities and they have converted 12 saves. Philadelphia relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 33.3% out of their 63 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 46 times in high leverage situations in addition to 51 occasions with base runners. They are currently ranked 7th in baseball with a save percentage of 70.6%, and they have dispatched 173 relievers onto the diamond on the season.

In their 4,026 innings on the diamond, the Phillies are sitting with a efficiency on defense of 65.5% (30th in MLB). The Philadelphia Phillies have gotten 31 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .987 (15th in the majors). The Phillies have 435 assists, 24 errors and have amassed 1,342 putouts on the season.

Sanchez (35-23 career mark) has earned a 3.09 ERA and has surrendered 8.4 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 4.15 and he has gone up against 2,461 hitters during his career. He has surrendered a total of 206 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.168 and a FIP of 3.0. Thus far in his career, Sanchez has allowed 558 base hits while he has accumulated 589 strikeouts in 599 innings pitched.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cleveland (+106)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get MLB picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.