A doubleheader is on tap between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals, as the second game of the day should be a good one at Nationals Park. It is about that time to check out our MLB odds series, where our Phillies-Nationals prediction and pick will be revealed.

 

 

The Phillies absolutely dismantled the Nationals in their opening game of the series yesterday by a score of 10-1, as there wasn't much that Philly couldn't do right in the blowout victory. Evening up their road record on the season at 14-14, the Phillies will send out an inexperienced but talented lefty in Bailey Falter, who has only started in two games on the year with an o-2 record and a 4.20 ERA.

If one game were to tell the story of the 2022 Nationals, yesterday's dreadful performance would be the game you would choose. With lackluster pitching and an absence from the bats at the plate, Washington was ready to load the bus only a few innings in. Friday is a new day, however, as the Nationals will send out a veteran in righty Paulo Espino, who has started one game on the year and has racked up a 2.08 ERA in his 21 appearances.

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

MLB Odds: Phillies-Nationals Odds

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (-104)

Washington Nationals : +1.5 (-115)

Over: 10.5 (-105)

Under: 10.5 (-115)

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Why The Phillies Could Cover the Spread

The Phillies are on an absolute tear, and outside of the Yankees and Braves, they are hands down playing some of the best ball in the entire league.

Apparently, the best thing the Phillies ever did was fire their manager, because since then, they have been one of the winningest teams in baseball. After the beatdown yesterday, the ‘Phils have now won 12 of their last 14 games.

Offensively, the Phillies are now even getting monstrous performances from guys like Kyle Schwarber, who belted two homers into the bleachers of Nationals Park on Thursday. The one-time National may be only hitting a lowly .212 on the season, but his 18 home runs lead the team by a wide margin. As a whole, Philly is a top-ten squad in runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

The pitching statistics haven't been as effective as the hitting numbers, but the Phillies can still leave hitters buckling at the knees when they are on their A-game. With the third most quality starts from starters and a respectable .387 ERA, the Phillies showcased their ability to spin the ball by holding the ‘Nats to one run on five measly hits.

Why The Nationals Could Cover the Spread

There doesn't appear to be much hope surrounding the nation's capital at the halfway point of June. With murmurs growing louder and louder about when football season is getting here, is there any chance the Nationals can turn their season around? Now sitting at twenty games below .500 at 23-43, Washington cannot afford many more losses the rest of the way.

Washington's struggles could be a direct result of maintaining one of the worst lineups and pitching staffs from a statistical viewpoint. With the seventh-lowest slugging percentage at .379 and an absurdly awful 5,46 ERA that is by far the worst mark in the majors, there isn't a whole lot that the Nationals have done right in general.

However, as hard as it is to believe, the Nationals could cover the spread during the second game of the doubleheader if they can score runs early and often. In their most recent wins against the Brewers when they generated a combined 19 runs in the pair of victories, Washington was able to barrel baseballs consistently and were very opportunistic. The ‘Nats have obviously not done this over the past week, as they have been outscored 28-7 over the course of their three previous games versus the Phillies and Braves.

Final Phillies-Nationals Prediction & Pick

If these two teams played ten more times after this, it is debatable that the ‘Nats could even win once with how well Philly has been playing. The game of baseball is as unpredictable as any, but only a fool with a surplus of money to burn would put their faith in this Washington bunch right now. Philadelphia covers the spread easily in this one heading into the weekend.

Final Phillies-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (-104)