Cleveland Guardians vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/23/2026

Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Saturday, May 23, 2026

Venue:  Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +163, Phillies -199; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +165, Phillies -200; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Guardians +165, Phillies -200; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Cleveland Guardians:  30-22 (1st place, AL Central)

Philadelphia Phillies:  25-25 (2nd place, NL East)

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Cleveland Guardians:  9-1 last 10

Philadelphia Phillies:  7-3 last 10

The Guardians are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 4-game series against the Detroit Tigers 4-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 30-22 record overall and have a road record of 15-12. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Phillies on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 15th in the MLB with a .701 OPS. Gavin Williams is their starting pitcher on Friday while Slade Cecconi is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 3-4 with a 5.16 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 4 SO on 5 hits through 7.1 IP against the Detroit Tigers.

The Phillies are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 25-25 record overall and have a home record of 13-14. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Guardians on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 22nd in the MLB with a .693 OPS. Cristopher Sánchez is their starting pitcher on Friday while Zack Wheeler is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 8 strikeouts on 4 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The current betting odds have the Phillies listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Phillies have looked good in their games this season with their 25-25 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL East. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark though with their 13-14 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Guardians have looked good in their games this season with their 30-22 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 15-12 road record this year. The Guardians have been rolling lately, going 9-1 in their last 10 games and they are off a 4-game sweep of the Tigers in their last series. The Phillies have also been hot lately themselves though, going 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup to take advantage of here. The Phillies are going with Wheeler in this one and he has been a stud for them this season. He is 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA and the team has had a ton of success with him so far. They have won all 5 of the games he has started in this year and he gave up no runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him. The Guardians are going with Cecconi in this one and he hasn't looked great this year. He is 3-4 with a 5.16 ERA and has been giving up quite a few runs in his starts. The team has been having success lately though, winning 4 games in a row now with him starting, and he only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start too, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this season and the Phillies have been improving on offense over the last few weeks since firing their manager. The Phillies are starting to turn their season around after a terrible start to the year and this is a great pitching matchup for them to take advantage of at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Phillies to win this game and on the runline. 

Guardians Phillies Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, May 23, 2026 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Phillies 7 Guardians 2.

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Cleveland Guardians: 19-13 (+8.3 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 215-173 (+38.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 101-93 (+22.7 units) on the moneyline in road games. 22-11 OVER vs. NL teams allowing 4.5 or more runs/game on the season.

Philadelphia Phillies: 97-96 (-15.8 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 25-25 (-6.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 13-14 (-6.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 9-4 OVER as a home favorite of -150 or more.

Cleveland Guardians:  G. Arias (SS) Ten Day IL - Hamstring.

Philadelphia Phillies:  K. Schwarber (DH) Day To Day - Illness. K. Backhus (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. M. Lazar (RP) Sixty Day IL - Oblique. Z. Pop (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Calf.

“Anytime you win four-game series, it's tough. It's tough to win a four-game series, let alone sweep it, and it's really proud of the way our guys kept their focus, kept going. We’re in the middle of 13 [games] in a row, and after a couple of emotional wins back to back, it could be easy to show up today on your heels, but our guys came out, ready to rock.” - Stephen Vogt after his team’s sweep of the Tigers in their last series.

“Don has been around a lot of baseball, a lot of really good baseball. He’s seen it all. As much as you can see from a player’s perspective, a coach’s perspective, a manager’s perspective. He’s been on all sides of the game.” - Alec Bohm on Don Mattingly as the new manager.

Daniel Schneemann (L) 3B

José Ramírez (S) DH

Chase DeLauter (L) RF

Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B

Travis Bazzana (L) 2B

Angel Martínez (S) LF

Steven Kwan (L) CF

Patrick Bailey (S) C

Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

Trea Turner (R) SS

Adolis García (R) RF

Bryce Harper (L) DH

Alec Bohm (R) 1B

J.T. Realmuto (R) C

Brandon Marsh (L) CF

Edmundo Sosa (R) 3B

Bryson Stott (L) 2B

Otto Kemp (R) LF

Batting Average:  Brayan Rocchio (.290)

Hits:  Brayan Rocchio (47)

Home Runs:  Angel Martínez (9)

RBI:  Chase DeLauter (30)

Stolen Bases:  José Ramírez (20)

Wins:  Gavin Williams (6)

Saves:  Cade Smith (16)

ERA:  Colin Holderman (1.50)

Batting Average:  Brandon Marsh (.325)

Hits:  Brandon Marsh (54)

Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber (20)

RBI:  Kyle Schwarber (36)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (9)

Wins:  Cristopher Sánchez (5)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (8)

ERA:  Jhoan Duran (1.42)

Managers:

Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt (3rd season)

Philadelphia Phillies: Don Mattingly (Interim)