The Los Angeles Angels head to the City of Brotherly Love to begin their series with the Philadelphia Phillies. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with an Angels-Phillies prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Angels took two of three games from the Mets over the weekend. It has been a disappointing season for the Angels, and one that is now littered with injuries. Shohei Ohtani will not pitch again this year, while Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, and CJ Cron have all been out recently as well. The Angels are now 63-68 on the season. That places them 11.5 games behind the division-leading Mariners and 10.5 games behind the Rangers and Astros in the Wild Card race.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are coming in off a sweep of the Cardinals over the weekend. The Phillies have now won seven of their last ten games, and five of their last six overall. This places them at 72-58 on the season. While it is 12.5 games behind the Braves in the division, the Phillies have the top Wild Card spot. They are three games better than the second Wild Card Cubs, and 3.5 over the Diamondbacks. They also have a five-game lead over the first team out of the playoffs currently the Giants.

Here are the Angels-Phillies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Angels-Phillies Odds

Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-166)

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+138)

Over: 9 (-120)

Under: 9 (-102)

How To Watch Angels vs. Phillies

TV: BSW/NBCSP

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread

For the Angels to win it starts with consistency on offense. On the season, they sit 13th in the majors in runs scored, 17th in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and seventh in slugging. The offense is paced by Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani leads the majors in home runs with 44 while sitting tenth in batting average at .305. He has continued to hit well this month despite battling injuries. On the month he is hitting .305 with a .418 on-base percentage. He has five home runs, seven doubles, and a triple, which has led to 11 RBIs. He has also stolen seven bases and scored 19 times this month.

This past week, it has been two other guys driving in the runs. Brandon Drury has five RBIs in the last week. He is hitting just .190 over the last week, but he has a home run and a double leading to his RBI production. Tied with him leading the team is Luis Rengifo. Rengifo also has five RBIs, and that is with the help of two doubles, a triple, and a home run. He has also scored four times while hitting great. In the last week, he is hitting .474 with a .583 on-base percentage.

Also hitting well is Nolan Schanuel. He is hitting .455 in his limited at-bats in the last week. He has also walked five times, giving him an on-base percentage of .647 this past week.  Schanuel has not hit an extra-base in the last week but has two RBIs and has scored twice as well.

On the mound today for the Angels will be Lucas Giolito. He is 7-10 on the season with a 4.32 ERA. Giolito has not been great since coming over from the White Sox though. He has made five starts and has a 1-4 record in those starts. Giolito has given up 20 earned runs in 27 innings of work. That is good for a 6.67 ERA since he joined the Angels, as he has also given up seven home runs in those starts.

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

The Phillies are coming out of a great weekend. They scored 22 runs in three games while surrendering just three. The pitching has been solid this year for the Phillies. They are seventh in team ERA while sitting sixth in WHIP and eighth in opponent batting average. They will send Taijuan Walked to the mound today for the start. He is 13-5 this season with a 4.02 ERA. He has not been as good as normal this month though. Walker has made three starts and gone 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA. Still, the Phillies are 2-1 in his starts and have won in 11 of his last 13 outings.

At the plate, the Phillies have been good this year as well. They are currently 11th in runs scored while sitting fifth in batting average, tenth in on-base percentage, and sixth in slugging. Kyle Schwarber leads the team in home runs and RBIs this year. He has 36 home runs which is good for fourth in the majors while sitting tied for 14th in RBIs. He has continued to slug this month as well. While hitting .222 with a .396 on-base percentage, he has nine home runs and 19 RBIs this month. Schwarber has also scored 20 times so far in August.

Bryce Harper also comes into this game hot. He is hitting .522 in the last week while getting on base at a .593 rate. Harper has three home runs, a triple, and a double in the last week, which has led to him driving in ten runs in the last six games. He has also scored six times. Meanwhile, Trea Turner is also being very productive. In the last week, he is hitting .308 with a .321 on-base percentage. He has a home run and two doubles, which has led to five RBIs in the last weeks. He has also stolen a base and scored six times.

As a team, the Phillies are hitting great. They are hitting .329 in the last week with a .392 on-base percentage. In the last six games, they have hit 14 home runs as well.

Final Angels-Phillies Prediction & Pick

In the pitching match-up, the Phillies have the edge. While Lucas Giolito has been solid this year, the results have not gone his way, and he has not nearly been as good as a member of the Angels. Tijuan Walker has been solid this season as well, and the Phillies find a way to win he is on the mound. The Phillies will also be able to hit some home runs tonight. They are averaging over two homes a game in the last week, and they have hit 48 home runs in August. The Phillies got a nice win today.

Final Angels-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+138)