Subscribe
Follow Us
It is an NL East showdown as the Washington Nationals face the Philadelphia Phillies. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Phillies prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Nationals come into the game winners of four straight games after taking a weekend series sweep over the Reds. They have won five of their last six games overall, and the offense has been clicking. In the three wins over the Reds, they scored 19 runs in three games. Still, the Nationals know it is all for a rebuild. They are 49-63 on the season, 22.5 games out of first in the NL East.
Meanwhile, the Phillies and many former Nationals such as Trea Truner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper continue their march towards the playoffs. They took two of three from the Royals over the weekend, and have won six of their last ten games. That makes the Phillies 61-51 on the season. While they are 10.5 games back in the division, the Phillies are tied with the Giants for the first two Wild Card spots and have a three-game lead over the Cubs and Reds who are tied for the last spot currently.
Here are the Nationals-Phillies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Phillies Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-105)
Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (-114)
Over: 10 (-110)
Under: 10 (-110)
How To Watch Nationals vs. Phillies
TV: MASN
Stream: NBCSP
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
While taking five of six games from NL Central teams, the pitching and hitting have both been on point for the Nationals. In the six games, Nationals pitchers gave up just 20 runs, just over three per game. On the season, the Nationals have a team ERA of 4.86, which is good for 26th in the majors, while they sit 28th in WHIP and opponent batting average. The Nationals will send Trevor Williams to the mound today for a start. On the season he is 5-6 with a 4.72 ERA. He struggled in his last outing, giving up five runs in four innings in a loss to the Mets. He has also made two starts against the Phillies this year. In those two starts, he has given up seven runs in 10.2 innings of work, with a 1-1 record.
Meanwhile, the offense averages 5.33 runs per game in their last six. On the season, they average just 4.39 runs per game, and their total runs rank them 19th in the majors. Still, they are sixth in the majors in batting average, 17th in on-base percentage, and 20th in slugging. Slugging is something Lane Thomas has been doing this year and recently as well. On the year, Thomas leads the team in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. This month, he has already hit three home runs, and combined with two doubles, he has driven in eight runs. He has also scored six times, with a .333 batting average. In the last week, Thomas has driven in ten runs.
Joining him in driving in runs in the last week have been Jake Alue and Joey Meneses. Alu has five RBIs and two runs scored while hitting .357 in the last week. He also has a double and has scored twice. Meneses has hit two home runs, and driven in five. He has done this while also hitting two doubles and scoring four times. In the last week, Meneses is hitting .293 with a .370 on-base percentage. CJ Abrama joins them in hitting well. In the last week, he is hitting .308 with a .333 on-base percentage. Abramas has a home run and three RBIs with three runs scored.
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
The Phillies have been getting a great combination of solid pitching, and hitting in the last week. On the pitching front, the Phillies are 11th in the majors in team ERA, while sitting eighth in WHIP and opponent batting average. They are also seventh in the majors in quality starts this year. The Phillies send Ranger Suarez to the mound in this one. He is 2-5 on the year with a 4.01 ERA. He struggled in July, giving up 19 runs in 28 innings, good for a 6.11 ERA and an 0-3 record. Still, he bounced back last time out. He went 6.1 innings and have up just one run getting a no-decision as the Phillies beat the Marlins. He has faced the Nationals twice this year, going 12.1 innings, giving up six runs and 1-1.
At the plate this year, the Phillies are tied for 15th in runs scored, while sitting ninth in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, and 13th in slugging. After being mired in a bad slump, Trea Turner turned it on in the series with the Royals. He went 4-12 in the series with two doubles and a home run. That led to him driving in five runs in three games. Meanwhile, multiple Phillies enter this game with hot bats. Alec Bohm has hit .414 over the last week with a .469 on-base percentage. He has hit three doubles and a home run leading to six RBIs. Bohm has also stolen a base and scored six times.
Bryce Harper is swinging well too. He is hitting .379 over the last week with a .406 on-base percentage. Harper had four RBIs with a home run and has scored five times. Harper also has four doubles in the last week. RBIs have been plentiful for Nick Castellanos in the last week as well. He has three home runs which have led to seven RBIs in his last six games. He has also scored five times and hit three doubles in there.
Final Nationals-Phillies Prediction & Pick
In the six games so far this year, the Phillies have won four over the Nationals. Meanwhile, only two games have gone below nine runs, with one sitting at nine, and the other three over ten. With Ranger Suarez and Trevor Williams both coming in of struggles, there could be plenty of runs tonight. Furthermore, the Nationals hit great against left-handed pitching. They are one of the best teams in the majors against lefties this year. The weather could be a factor in this one, as large storms could be rolling in at game time. Still, with the unsettled atmosphere and winds potentially blowing out, expect runs in this one. The Nationals won two of the last three in Philadelphia. They may not win tonight, but they can keep it close.
Final Nationals-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-105) and Over 10 (-110)
