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Game two of this inter-league series will be underway a few hours from now as the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Guardians go face-to-face on the diamond for the second time in as many days. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Phillies-Guardians prediction and pick.
On Friday, the Phillies. narrowly lost to the Guardians by a score of 6-5 in what ended up being a nap-biter. With the gut-punch of a defeat occurring not even 24 hours ago, the loss put Philadelphia to a 52-45 record and are now in a three-way tie for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with the Reds and Marlins. In an attempt to get back in the win column, the Phillies will send out veteran Zach Wheeler who is 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA.
On the other side of things, the hotly contested victory was exactly what the Guardians needed to inch their way back to the .500 mark as they now enter play this Saturday with a 48-49 record. Not to mention, but Cleveland is well alive in the AL Central race for the division title as they only trail the Twins by two games. In line for the start is projected to be Tanner Bibee and his 5-2 record to go along with his 3.32 ERA.
Here are the Phillies-Guardians MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Guardians Odds
Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+130)
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-156)
Over: 9.5 (-105)
Under: 9.5 (-115)
How To Watch Phillies vs. Guardians
TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:10 ET/4:10 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
Following a four-game winning streak, the Phillies are now in the midst of a three-game skid. In the meantime, the Guardians have won three of their last four, so remaining focused at the task at hand in order to not only win but cover the spread will be vital.
To begin, the best chance for the Phillies to cover will be to get the offense and pitching arms all on the same page. Although the Phillies have been a tough team to overcome due to their balanced hitting and pitching ways, they have not been able to be very consistent during their last three games played which have resulted all in losses. Believe it or not, hitting can be contagious, and with the dynamic Zach Wheeler in line for the start, this could be the day where the Phillies cover the spread and get back in the win column. However, Wheeler will need to figure out keeping the baseball in the ballpark as he has allowed five home runs in his past five starts after giving up only a handful of long balls in his previous 15 appearances overall.
Most importantly, the Phillies stranded ten men on base and went a combined 1-6 with runners in scoring position in Friday night's loss. Without a doubt, this formula cannot be repeated if the Phillies want to get back at the Guardians, as missed opportunities at the plate will eventually once again be their downfall.
Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread
Could the Guardians officially be entering a hot streak? While only time will tell, the remarkable play of utility man David Fry has given Cleveland another dynamic weapon within their lineup. At first glance, Fry may be the Guardians' best hitter at the moment as the 27-year-old slugger is slashing a whopping .356 over his last 22 games played and could be making a stellar case for more playing time. With that being said, it is these types of players that teams so desperately need down the stretch in a race for division titles and covering spreads at a consistent rate.
In addition, first-baseman Josh Bell has generally been known for his towering home runs throughout his career, and especially against Phillies' expected starter Zach Wheeler. In fact, Bell has gone 8-31 with a pair of long balls against Wheeler all-time. Don't be overly shocked if Bell turns back the clock and smacks a ball deep into the night to give the Guardians a much-needed boost offensively.
Of course, all of this will be for not if Bibee cannot pitch up to his expectations. Luckily, the 24-year-old promising twirler has only surrendered three runs in his last trio of starts and has also pitched at least five innings in each start dating back to June 13th.
Final Phillies-Guardians Prediction & Pick
Clearly, both sides have playoff aspirations, and even though Cleveland were able to do just enough in the narrow triumph over Philly one Friday, it would be a good bet to side with the Phillies to exact their revenge on the Guardians in a few hours from now.
Final Phillies-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+130)
