Two division foes will meet on the diamond Tuesday for the second game of this series as the Miami Marlins will square off with the Philadelphia Phillies. It is time to check out our MLB odds series, where our Marlins-Phillies prediction and pick will be unveiled for all sports bettors to see.

 

At 27-32, the Marlins are desperate to work their way into Wild Card contention, as they currently sit 6.5 games back of the final playoff spot in the National League. After falling short to the Phillies 3-2 yesterday, Miami will look for a quick turnaround by sending out slumping lefty Trevor Rogers, who is 3-5 with a 5.58 ERA in his eleven games started.

It hasn't been that long since Philadelphia parted ways with their manager in Joe Girardi, but interim Rob Thomson has done a nice job to begin his managerial tenure with the Phillies. So far, Thomson has rallied the troops to a 9-1 record since his promotion and will be looking for another victory against the Marlins this evening. On the mound for Philadelphia will be RHP Zach Eflin, who is 2-4 with a pretty solid 3.76 ERA in his ten overall starts.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Marlins-Phillies MLB odds.

MLB Odds: Marlins-Phillies Odds

Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-152)

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+126)

Over: 8.5 (-112)

Under: 8.5 (-108)

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Why The Marlins Could Cover the Spread

On paper, the Marlins appear to be a team that should not even sniff a chance at the playoffs based on their play through 59 games, but with more than three and a half months of baseball to be played, there is still plenty of time for Miami to make a move as the season progresses.

The one critical factor that Miami has going for them when they face off with the Phillies is the fact that they have often gotten the best of Philadelphia in recent years. In fact, Miami has won the season series versus the Phillies in 2019, 2020, and even 2021. While the Marlins have so far dropped three of four to Philly in 2022, the familiarity of defeating their divisional foes should no doubt instill some confidence for Miami as they head into this matchup.

Statistically, the Marlins are a middle-of-the-pack team in just about every category, as they can oftentimes get by timely performances by the offense and pitching staff. With right-fielder Garrett Cooper hitting .314 and second-baseman Jazz Chisholm leading the club in RBIs with 40 of them, this group is no slouches when it comes to barreling the baseball.

Although inconsistent at times, it will be up to the arm of Tyler Rogers if the Marlins want a chance at stopping the red-hot Phillies. Rogers' numbers on the campaign seem to be quite pedestrian, but he has the arsenal to leave the opposition dazed and confused within the batter's box. Rogers has struggled against the Phillies for the most part, as he has a 1-3 record with a 6.91 ERA in six career starts.

Why The Phillies Could Cover the Spread

Outside of some of the top dogs in baseball, the Phillies may in fact be the hottest bunch in the sport. Miraculously, the Phillies have come back from the dead and have kept their head above water in the most difficult of times. While things couldn't have been more rocky within the clubhouse, the last straw was the firing of longtime MLB manager Joe Girardi, who was relieved of his duties after the Phillies losing ways reached an all-time high at the conclusion of a six-game losing streak. However, since then, the Phillies have fought their way back into playoff contention and are even one game above .500 at 31-30 with the hard-fought victory yesterday against Miami.

In their past eleven games, Philadelphia has managed to score double-digit runs a trio of times and has begun to instill some fear into teams with their offensive lineup appearing to be clicking on all cylinders. Currently a top-ten team in numerous hitting categories, the Phillies have a plethora of weapons at their disposal at every spot in the batting order. None of these weapons may be as dangerous as OF/DH Bryce Harper himself, as the left-handed hitter is leading the ‘Phils with a .318 batting average and 46 RBIs on the season.

Yes, the Phillies pitching staff is iffy at times and tends to let baserunners stroll the bases with a 1.27 WHIP, but they do also have the fourth most quality starts in all of baseball with 27 total. If Philadelphia and more specifically Eflin can pitch deep into the later frames of this one, the Phillies will have a stellar chance of covering the spread.

Final Marlins-Phillies Prediction & Pick

With interim manager Rob Thomson in the midst of an incredible turnaround, the Phillies are a team that is fun to watch right now. Even with a 6-14 record against National League East opponents in 2022, Thomson will have the troops ready in front of the home crowd in a few short hours.

Final Marlins-Phillies Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+126)