For the eighth of a nine-game home stand, the Philadelphia Phillies will play host to the Washington Nationals for a divisional clash on Wednesday night. Philly notched a decisive victory in the opener of this series, piling on even more after dispatching the Nats four of five times when they visited D.C. a month ago.
The Phillies (43-38) are winners of four of their last five MLB matchups, the only loss coming in the middle of a three-game set with St. Louis over the weekend.
Including this one, Philly has two more matchups on home turf before embarking on a nine-game trip that will last until the All-Star break. In the MLB standings, they’re seven games behind the New York Mets in the National League East.
Washington (29-54) hasn’t done nearly as well. The Nationals idle in last place in the same grouping, with 22 games separating them and the Mets. The margin is the steepest in the NL at this moment. They’ve dropped their last six games on the MLB schedule, with a sweep at the hands of Miami being part of that skid.
For all their difficulties, the Nats are surprisingly solid at the dish. Their .250 team batting average ranks within the top third of the major leagues; however, their total runs scored are the fifth-least.
There’s a chance that first baseman Josh Bell could be shipped away by the trade deadline as he’s made his case as the team’s best offensive talent. He leads Washington with a .315 average, 47 RBIs, and a .398 on-base percentage. Right fielder Juan Soto has a team-high 15 home runs.
Nationals vs. Phillies Odds
MLB odds have the home team winning the slate and positioning themselves for a sweep on Thursday. Philly is -1.5 on the run line at -102, while the Nationals are -118 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Phillies are -230 and Washington a +190 underdog. The total has been set at eight runs, with the over being -102 and the under -120 at the time of this writing.
The Philadelphia Phillies took quite a large hit when Bryce Harper broke his thumb recently. His .318 average at the plate is the best of anyone on the squad, with third baseman Alec Bohm the next nearest regular. The latter is hitting .268.
Left fielder Kyle Schwarber has belted 25 homers, which is tied for the third-most in the bigs.
Matchup Information
Nationals vs. Phillies Betting Preview
Aaron Nola, an eight-year veteran righty, will throw for the hosts, having put up a 5-5 record and a respectable 3.13 ERA in 16 starts so far. His 117 strikeouts are currently tied for fourth in MLB and as is his 0.92 WHIP.
He’s gone at least seven innings in each of his most recent five starts, including an effort at Washington on June 18. In that one, he shut the Washington Nationals out over eight innings, giving up four inconsequential hits. He’s fanned at least eight batters in his last three outings.
Josiah Gray will be his counterpart, as he’ll go for the Nats. He has a 6-5 mark and a 4.22 ERA in 15 appearances. His team has fallen short in his last four times out, including an effort he’d rather forget against Miami last week.
The Marlins tagged him for six earned runs on ten knocks in that one. He faced Philly in June, pitching six innings of one-hit ball.
Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies Picks and Predictions
Philadelphia has scored among the most runs in the NL, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers in that department. Expect the offense to do well again after an 11-0 win on Tuesday while Nola continues an impressive season.
With your MLB picks today, take the Phillies to cover as they try to stay in the race with their superstar out of the lineup for the foreseeable future. The Nationals just haven’t been able to do much, especially as of late.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.