Wednesday night brings a pivotal rubber match to Citizens Bank Park as the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, both sitting at 8-9, look to claim the series. After the Cubs evened things up with a 10-4 victory on Tuesday, the stage is set for a decisive finale. The pitching matchup features Shota Imanaga (0-1, 2.81 ERA) for the Cubs against the Phillies' Jesús Luzardo (1-2, 6.23 ERA), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

According to the latest odds, the Phillies are listed as -138 moneyline favorites, while the over/under for total runs is set at 9. For bettors and fans looking for an edge, SportsLine's advanced projection model, which simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, has analyzed this matchup and released its picks.

The model, which was highly profitable on top-rated money-line picks last season, is leaning towards a high-scoring affair. It projects the game to go Over the 9-run total. This aligns with the recent trend in this series, where the first two games saw 14 and 13 runs scored, respectively. The Over has also hit in the Cubs' last four consecutive games and in seven of the Phillies' last ten home contests.

Both starting pitchers face significant challenges. While Imanaga has a solid ERA, he has struggled against current Phillies hitters in the past. Conversely, Luzardo enters with an elevated ERA and will need to find his form against a Cubs lineup that just erupted for ten runs. With both offenses showing life and the pitching matchup presenting questions, the model's projection for runs points toward another entertaining clash in Philadelphia.