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The Philadelphia Phillies take on the Tampa Bay Rays for the second game of a three game set Wednesday. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Phillies-Rays prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Game one of this series was a pitchers duel won by the Phillies 3-1. Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott each had two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Alec Bohm was 1-3 in the game with the other RBI. Philadelphia finished the game with just six hits as Kyle Schwarber also recorded a hit. Aaron Nola was fantastic on the mound. He threw 7 1/3 innings and allowed just one run while striking out 12 to earn the win. Craig Kimbrel threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his 13th save of the season.
Wander Franco was the only player with multiple hits in the game for Tampa Bay. He finished 2-4 with a home run to give the Rays their only run of the game. Zach Eflin picked up the loss, but was still solid in the game. He went seven innings, allowed just two runs on four hits and struck out 9. Jalen Beeks gave up a run in relief, but struck out three batters to give the Rays 12 strikeouts on the game.
Taijuan Walker will take the ball for the Phillies while Zack Littell starts for the Rays.
Here are the Phillies-Rays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Rays Odds
Philadelphia Phillies:+1.5 (-194)
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+162)
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How To Watch Phillies vs. Rays
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bally Sports Sun
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 6:40 PM ET/3:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
Walker has been pretty good for the Phillies this season. He has a 3.93 ERA, but his WHIP is 1.23 and he has allowed just 77 hits in 89 1/3 innings pitched. Philadelphia is also 12-5 when Walker starts, including a five game win streak with him on the mound. Walker is coming off an incredible month of June. He made six starts and was 5-1 in those games. In 36 innings pitched in June, Walker allowed just 22 hits and struck out 34 to go along with his 1.50 ERA. He has not allowed more than one run in his last five starts. If he can have another game like that, the Phillies will cover the spread.
The Rays are using an opener in this game, but it is not a great one. Littell has an ERA over 5.00 and has allowed 17 hits in 15 1/3 innings pitched. He will likely only pitch one or two innings, but that is long enough for the Phillies to jump on him. If Philadelphia can push some runs across right away, they can and will cover the spread.
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
After Littell, my guess is Yonny Chirinos will get the ball. He has not pitched in six days and he has the fourth most innings pitched on the team. This would not be a bad move as Chirinos is having a pretty good season. He has a 3.64 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and he is 4-3. The only reason his ERA is 3.64 is because of the eight runs he gave up a few appearances ago. If you take that out, he has a 2.57 ERA. He gives the Rays a good chance to win some games. If he is the name to be called after the opener, Tampa Bay will have a good chance to cover the spread.
Final Phillies-Rays Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a close game. It is hard to predict games when here is an opener. However, Walker has been lights out lately, and I am not going to bet against the hot hand. With the help of Walker, the Phillies should cover the spread.
Final Phillies-Rays Prediction & Pick: Phillies +1.5 (-194), Under 8.5 (+100)
