Cleveland Guardians vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, 5/23/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cleveland Guardians vs Philadelphia Phillies

Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026

Location: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (+126) Philadelphia (-152)

Citizens Bank Park is the location where the Philadelphia Phillies (25-25) will meet the Cleveland Guardians (30-22) on Saturday. The moneyline on this game has the Guardians at +126 and the Phillies are priced at -152. The total has been set at 8. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Slade Cecconi and Zack Wheeler.

As a team, the Cleveland Guardians are notching 4.4 runs per game, which has them at 15th in MLB. They have earned a total of 228 runs while having a team OBP of .324. The Guardians have tallied 82 two-baggers as a unit and have knocked 53 baseballs out of the park. They have accumulated 218 runs batted in as well as 391 hits over the course of the season, and their team batting average is at .230. Cleveland is slugging .377 and have been called out on strikes 388 times, while taking a walk on 225 occasions.

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The Guardians hold a team earned run average of 3.67 for the year (8th in the league), and they have rung up 484 batters. Guardians pitchers have conceded 59 home runs and 205 total runs (10th in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 179 batters and their FIP sits at 3.94 as a unit for the year. Cleveland has yielded 402 base hits (7.8 per 9 innings) as well as 188 earned runs. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.70 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.26.

Guardians relief pitchers have come into the game with players on base 49 times in addition to having 61 appearances in high leverage situations. The bullpen have a total of 45 holds this year (1st in the league). The Guardians bullpen have earned a save percentage of 82.6% and have entered the game in 69 save situations. They have earned 19 saves this season and have blown 4 of their 23 chances to get a save. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 78 base runners for the season with 24.4% of those players earned a run for their team. The Guardians have sent 171 relief pitchers to the hill for the year.

The Cleveland Guardians have accumulated 1,384 putouts over the course of the season, as well as 395 assists and 20 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .989 which has them ranked 7th in professional baseball, and have accumulated 38 double plays. The Guardians have turned 70.4% of balls in play into outs out of 4,152 innings, which has them ranked 13th in the majors.

Cecconi has taken the hill for 288 innings and has earned 235 K's in his career. His earned run average is 5.09 (163 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.302. He has conceded 303 hits (9.5 hits per 9 innings) with 72 free passes. Cecconi (12-19 mark in his career) has earned a FIP of 5.02 while he has faced 1,225 batters in the major leagues.

The Phillies hold a slugging percentage of .393 and they are recording 4.18 runs per contest (19th in the league). They have hit 71 two-baggers, while taking a walk 149 times and scoring 209 runs. Philadelphia has accounted for 62 home runs so far this year and 205 RBIs. They have struck out on 413 occasions (17th in the league) and have recorded 392 base hits. The Philadelphia Phillies have recorded a team OBP of .300 and a team batting average of .231 over the course of the season.

The Philadelphia pitching staff have surrendered 233 runs for the year while having an ERA of 4.31 (214 earned runs given up). They have conceded 48 home runs and they yield 4.69 runs per 9 innings (21st in baseball). The Phillies hold a team WHIP of 1.355 in addition to having a FIP of 3.46 as a team over the course of the season. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 9.60 (476 strikeouts vs 142 free passes). They come in at 28th in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 464.

Philadelphia bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 33.3% of 63 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 46 times in high leverage situations and on 51 occasions with base runners. With 32 save situations, the Phillies have tallied 15 holds and 5 blown saves. They are ranked 7th in the league with a save percentage of 70.6%, and they have dispatched 173 relief pitchers onto the field for the year.

The Philadelphia Phillies have turned 31 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .987 (15th in pro baseball). The Phillies have 435 assists, 24 errors and have a tally of 1,342 putouts this season. In 4,026 innings on the field, the Phillies have accumulated a efficiency on defense of 65.5% (30th in the majors).

In his career, Wheeler has allowed 1,496 hits while he has earned 1,850 K's in 1,759 innings pitched. Wheeler (116-75 career win-loss mark) has a 3.26 ERA while giving up 7.7 hits per 9 innings. He has given up a total of 637 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.133 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.2. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.72 and he has faced 7,206 hitters during his MLB career.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cleveland (+126)

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