The Phillies took the opening game of their three-game series in D.C. on Monday evening. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Phillies-Nationals prediction and pick.
While the Phillies remain just 3.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East, the Nationals remain all but out of playoff contention. If anything, they're vying for a top 10 draft pick at this point. Despite both pitchers in tonight's game have ERA's north of 6.00, the Phillies are clearly the better baseball team here.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the lines for Tuesday's matchup.
NFL Odds: Phillies-Nationals
Philadelphia Phillies (-102)
Washington Nationals (-108)
Over 9 runs (-115)
Under 9 runs (-105)
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Why The Phillies Could Win
Although they are just a few games above the .500 mark, the Phillies remain just a few games behind the Braves for the top spot in the NL East. And this team is heating up at the right time, as they have won four consecutive games. This includes winning the series opener in D.C. yesterday, as the Phillies collected seven runs on 10 hits. In fact, the Phillies scored exactly seven runs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as well. Thursday's offensive output was in a loss, but regardless, this lineup is having one of its best weeks all season. Phillies starter Matt Moore has struggled in August (5.30 ERA), but with the way the Phillies lineup is producing, they can easily put up 6+ runs against a struggling Nats pitching staff. Even if Moore doesn't pitch all that well, the Phillies should be able to score enough runs to hide a sub-par pitching night by their team.
Why The Nationals Could Win
Patrick Corbin holds a lackluster 7.33 ERA in August. But the reason the Nationals could win this game is because of the bats of Juan Soto and Josh Bell. After trading most of their best hitters at the trade deadline, the Nats two best hitters are now clear – Soto, still just 22 years old, and Bell, the slugger who previously played for Pittsburgh. These two hitters alone have the potential to change the game. Case in point – in the Nats 9-4 loss on Sunday, the team had just three overall hits, and all were off the bat of either Soto or Bell. In fact, all three hits landed for home runs. Soto hit a solo blast in the sixth inning, while Bell connected for two home runs on the afternoon. While the Mets ended up winning, don't let that distract you from the fact that Soto and Bell are two of the best hitters in baseball. Facing a struggling pitcher in Matt Moore, look for these two sluggers to find their power to all fields. Even if the Phillies offense continues to stay hot, Soto and Bell are more than capable of leading a Nats offensive output here to make this something like a 9-8 Nats win.
Final Phillies-Nationals Prediction & Pick
The Phillies streak of seven runs in each of their past four games is too good of a trend to pass up on. Against Patrick Corbin and his over 7.00 ERA in August, the Phillies bats continue to hit the ball all over the field, they put another 7+ runs on the board, and they take the second game of this series in D.C.
FINAL PICK: Phillies MONEYLINE (-102)
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