Two of the hottest teams in the National League face off as the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Philadelphia Phillies. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with Brewers-Phillies prediction, pick, and how to watch.

The Brewers opened the second half the same way they finished the first half. They took a series from the division rival Cincinnati Reds. Over the weekend the Brewers swept the Reds and shut them out in two games. Between the two series, they took five of six from the Reds and took control of the NL Central. Now at 52-42 on the season, the Brewers are two games up on the Reds in the division. Winners of seven of their last ten, things are not all roses for the Brewers though. They just found out Rowdy Tellez will be on the IL a little longer, and Wade Miley just went to the IL, taking away one of their best pitchers.

Meanwhile, the Phillies started their second half strong as well. They took three of four from the Padres, including sweeping a doubleheader and a 12-inning win on Sunday. For the Phillies, it was their seventh win in the last ten games, which has placed them at 51-42 on the season. They are still 10.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East, but only a half-game back of the Marlins and Diamondbacks for an NL wild-card spot.

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

MLB Odds: Brewers-Phillies Odds

Milwaukee Brewers: +1.5 (-120)

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+100)

Over: 9.5 (-104)

Under: 9.5 (-118)

How To Watch Brewers vs. Phillies

TV: BSWI/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 Brewers Could Cover The Spread

For the Brewers to keep winning, it has to start with pitching. This season they are 12th in the league in team ERA, with an eighth-placed WHIP, and fifth-placed opponent batting average, and they are tied for eighth in quality starts. They have a bullpen that is fourth in the majors in saves this year, while also sitting top 15 in terms of ERA. The bullpen also ranks tenth in terms of WHIP.

A lot of the work has been done by the starting pitching, which has been led by Corbin Burnes. Still, they have a lot of quality starters including Julio Teheran, who is starting today. On the season, Teheran is just 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. His last start was on July 2nd and it did not go well for him. Against the Cubs, he went six innings and gave up six runs. Still, he managed to walk away with the no-decision as the Brewers put up eight runs and got the win. In his first six starts of the year, he went five or more innings in each of them, while giving up two runs or less. He has given up just six earned runs in his first six starts. In his last two starts, he has given up 13 earned runs.

The offense still needs some improvement. They are 25th in runs in the league while sitting 25th in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging. Christian Yelich is having a great month for the Brewers. In his last two games, he has hit two home runs and driven in three runs. For the month, he is hitting .356 with a .431 on-base percentage. He has three doubles, a triple, and four home runs with 12 RBIs on the month. Yelich has also stolen three bases while scoring 13 times. Joining him in having a hot month is William Contreras. He is hitting .429 on the month with a .457 on-base percentage. Contreras has two home runs with seven RBIS and has scored seven times this month as well.

Rounding out having a solid month at the plate is Jesse Winker. While Winker is hitting just .167, it is his on-base percentage that has been amazing. Currently, Winker is getting on base at a .400 clip. He has driven in four runs this month and only scored twice. Still, if he keeps getting on base at the same rate, he will be scoring more runs, and his bat is sure to start making some more contact soon.

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

While the Brewers are more pitching-dominant, the Phillies put out a much more balanced squad. On offense, they are 15th in runs scored, seventh in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and tenth in slugging. Kyle Schwarber has been helping the slugging out a lot. He just launched his 25th home run of the season and has home runs in each of the last three games. In the month he is hitting just .214, but with three doubles, four home runs, and 13 RBIS, the Phillies will be fine with the low batting average.

Bryson Stott is also coming off a solid series. He went 5-14 at the plate, scoring six times. On the month, he is hitting .385 and leads the team in batting average on the year with a .303 average. That is good for 11th in the majors. Stott has hit four doubles and a home run this month, giving him four RBIs. He has been scoring a lot though, with ten runs this month, helped by his .429 OBP.

Joining Stott in having a hot month is Bryce Harper. Over the weekend he broke one of the longest homerless streaks of his career with his first home run since May 25th. On the month Harper is hitting .385 with a .455 OBP. He has six doubles to go with his home runs and six RBIs. Harper has an RBI in each of his last three games and has scored a run in each of them as well. In the month he has scored nine times already.

While the offense has been slightly above average this year, the same can be said about the pitching. On the year they are 14th in team ERA, 11th in WHIP, and 12th in opponent batting average. On the hill, today for the Phillies will be Aaron Nola. He is 8-6 on the year with a 4.39 ERA. Like Teheran, Nola is coming off a rough start. He went six innings last time out, giving up four runs, with three of them being earned. He has now given up four or more runs in four of his last six starts. Still, he has managed to get wins in two of them.

Final Brewers-Phillies Prediction & Pick

In this match-up, there is not a major pitching edge. Both pitchers have had some great starts this year, but both Nola and Teheran have had some struggles as of late. The WHIP for Teheran has been better this year, and he has given up less contact overall. The advanced metrics also point slightly to Teheran, but it is slight. Still, when Nola is on, he is one of the best in the majors. The big difference in this game is the offense. The Phillies' offense is picking up and is better overall. They have more power and hit better overall. That will be the difference in this one as we pick the Phillies to beat the Brewers.

Final Brewers-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+100)