Alas, the MLB playoffs have officially arrived! Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for some premier action on the diamond as the Miami Marlins take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love in a pivotal Game 2! Join us for our MLB odds Series where our Marlins-Phillies prediction and pick will be revealed.

After a tooth and clawing to put themselves into securing a Wild Card berth, the Miami Marlins have returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 in a COVID-shortened season. Believe it or not, you have to go even further back since Miami went to the postseason during a full season as it hasn't been since 2003 when they shocked the New York Yankees to win the franchise's second World Series title. In 13 regular season matchups against their division rivals, With an 84-77 record in 2023, can the Marlins play the role of Cinderella and go on a playoff run before the clock strikes midnight?

Meanwhile, the defending NL champs have lots to play for in the month of October including gaining vengeance on falling just short to the Houston Astros in last fall's World Series. Nevertheless, this Phillies squad is absolutely stacked once again for the second consecutive season and if it wasn't for the Atlanta Braves taking the NL East by storm, then they definitely were productive enough in all facets to win the division. Regardless, there is no question that the city of Philadelphia will be rocking at Citizens Bank Park at a feverish pitch!

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

MLB Odds: Marlins-Phillies Odds

Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-170)

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+140)

Over: 8 (-110)

Under: 8 (-110)

How To Watch Marlins vs. Phillies

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

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

Why The Marlins Could Cover The Spread

Getting the opening Wild Card game start for the Marlins is scheduled to be the lefty Braxton Garrett who last faced off with the Phillies in the first week of August resulting in five innings pitched resulting in allowing only three earned runs including striking out five in that appearance. As a whole, it was Garrett who went 9-7 overall and hurled his way to a 3.66 ERA en route to a solid summer. When taking a closer look, there is no question that Miami has to pitch close to perfection against a Phillies offense that isn't afraid to put up some crooked numbers against opposing pitching in the blink of an eye.

Not to mention, but one big reason why the Marlins can play spoiler and take a 1-0 lead in this NL Wild Card series while covering the spread as underdogs will be due to their red-hot play to finish the final month of the regular season under first-year manager Skip Schumaker. In fact, Miami went a total of 18-9 during the month of September and are scorching hot at the most ideal of times. Time and time again, most squads who finish the regular season on a roll often make some noise come playoff time. Will Miami be the next?

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

On paper, it is hard to argue against the fact that the Phillies aren't the better team, but anything can happen in the wild, wild, game of baseball. For the second postseason run in a row, the Phillies road to their first World Series championship since 2008  will need to begin in the Wild Card round. A year ago, it was Philadelphia that took care of business against the St. Louis Cardinals in only two games and will look to conduct yet another perfect Wild Card series this time against their division foe.

In order to cover the spread and baffle the fish, be on the lookout for the Phillies to receive some heroic performances from most of their hitters who were main characters in last year's postseason run. Whether it is Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and even All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to inflict some damage from the opening pitch of the ball game. Remember, this is a Phillies offense that were led by an offense that ranked 8th in runs per game and also showcased their ability to obliterate baseballs into the hands with the fifth-best major-league mark in slugging percentage. In short, this team could single-handedly cover Game 2 of this Wild Card with the crack of the bats!

In addition, the Phillies bring plenty of experience to the mound for the second game of this series with righty Aaron Nola scheduled to take the bump. With playoff experience from last year's team most likely to serve the 30-year-old twirler well, Nola possesses a rock-solid 12-9 record to go along with a 4.46 ERA on the season. Fortunately for Philly, Nola is extremely talented and has also shown success over the Marlins this summer.

Final Marlins-Phillies Prediction & Pick

It doesn't get much better than playoff baseball! With stakes at an all-time high, the fact of the matter is that the Phillies simply have a better roster than the Marlins do, and no matter what happens in the opening game of this series, Philadelphia is the safe pick here.

Final Marlins-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+140)