It might surprise you to know that the current betting favorite on MLB futures to win the NL MVP is no longer Washington’s Bryce Harper but Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt. As of right now, The Diamondbacks will be MLB odds favorites against the Phillies in Game 2 on Saturday. For Arizona, it’s been quite good these past few days. They’re coming off a 2 game road victory against the Detroit Lions. In Philadelphia’s case, not so much. They’re coming off a 4 game series against Boston Red Sox, which ended last night. That series ended 1-3. So, with that in mind, let’s see what can we expect from Saturday’s matchup.
Arizona at Philadelphia MLB Odds Prediction & Preview
When: Saturday, June 17, 4:05 PM ET Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philly Probable pitchers (away/home): Zack Godley/Jerad Eickoff TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv Radio: Arizona / Philadelphia Opening MLB Odds: Diamondbacks favored by TBAThe #Dbacks make their way to the City of Brotherly Love this weekend: https://t.co/f2VB1AzQOM pic.twitter.com/xwgVxuGiK2
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 16, 2017
Weather Forecast
- Chance of Thunderstrom: 31°C/87°F
- Humidity: 47%
- Precipitation: 4%
- Wind: 6 mph S
- Cloud Cover: 52%
- Type of Stadium: Open
Why Bet On Arizona?
To start with, taking into consideration their latest MLB odds,Arizona (41-26 entering Friday) has matched the franchis’s best start through 67 games.”We’re winning one-run games on the road, and I think that’s what teams do when they play into the end of the season and have meaningful games,” Manager Lovullo said. “We’re doing a lot of things right. I’m very pleased with that.” Arizona is 13-6 in games decided by 1 run, the second-best mark in the NL and fourth in the majors. Goldschmidt is having another sensational season, batting .323/.448/.596 with 15 home runs, and 53 RBI as of Thursday. His 58 runs scored lead the major leagues. He has also swiped 13 bases. He’ll be an All-Star, and closer Fernando Rodney deserves to be one too. Rodney has not allowed an earned run in 15 straight appearances since May 1, going 12-for- 13 in save situations with a 0.00 ERA (1 R-0 ER in 13.2 IP), a .050 opponents average (2-for- 40), 6 walks and 11 strikeouts. His .050 average is tied for the best among all relievers in the Majors since May 1 (min. 8 G/0 GS) with Craig Kimbrel (.050).Who Will Be the Starting Pitcher on Saturday?
It’s Zack Godley (2-1, 2.44) on the mound. Godley won after allowing two runs on two hits (one homer) and one walk with four strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings last Saturday vs. the Brewers. Due to a need for bullpen depth and flexibility, the D-backs sent Godley to Triple-A, but his stay there was short. Godley has benefited from a .239 BABIP, and his 21 percent strikeout rate is average for a starting pitcher. However, his elite 64 percent ground-ball rate, respectable eight percent walk rate, and deep arsenal should continue to allow Godley to turn over lineups and maintain his spot in the rotation.
Why Bet On Philadelphia?
The MLB odds haven’t been much in Philadelphia’s favor lately, as they are coming off a 4 game losing streak. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said this week that second baseman that Cesar Hernandez (oblique) will miss approximately six weeks. Hernandez landed on the disabled list Sunday after being diagnosed with a left oblique strain. This latest update means the second baseman will remain sidelined through the All- Star break and possibly into August. First baseman Tommy Joseph has hit safely in each of his last 10 games and is batting .366 with four doubles, a home run and seven RBI in that span. In addition, Joseph is slashing .303/.359/.563 in his last 41 games (156 PA, 5/1-current) with 9 homers and 25 RBI. Only Miami’s Justin Bour (12), Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt (11) and Cincinnati’s Joey Votto (11) have more home runs among NL first basemen since 5/1. Having recently completed his 162nd career ML game, Joseph had clubbed 31 homers in 503 at-bats and became only the fourth Phillie since 1913 with 30+ HR in his first 162 career games, joining Chuck Klein (44), Ryan Howard (43) and Don Hurst (31).How are the Phillies Doing So Far This Season?
The Phillies have seen a marked improvement in both offense and defense from their outfield corps as a whole this season. Their .439 combined slugging percentage would be the highest since 2011 (.445) after posting a .366 SLG % last year. Philadelphia outfielders have slugged 26 home runs in 64 games (0.41 HR/G), only 11 shy of their total of 37 in 2016 (0.23 HR/G). For Saturday, Jerad Eickhoff will start on the mound on Saturday (0-7, 5.09) as he is still searching for that elusive first win of 2017. He did not factor in the decision after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings Monday against the Red Sox. Eickhoff turned in his first quality start since May 16 after going 0-3 with a 6.63 ERA across his previous four outings. The 26-year- old has struggled with walks this year, seeing his BB/9 rate climb to 3.4 after posting a 1.9 mark in ’16. He’s the first Phillies pitcher to go winless in his first 13 starts since Cliff Lee in 2012. He holds a 5.46 ERA at home this season.Latest MLB Odds Trends
- Arizona is 6-3 ATS in their last 9 games
- Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games
- Arizona has gone 7-1 SU in the last 8 games
- Philadelphia has gone 1-8 SU in the last 9 games
- The total went OVER in 7 of Arizona’s last 9 games
- The total went UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games against Arizona
Recent MLB Betting History
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Won – June 14th @ Detroit / Score: 2-1/ MLB Betting Lines: +113, Total 10
- Won – June 13th @ Detroit / Score: 7-6 / MLB Betting Lines: -106, Total 9
- Won – June 11th vs Milwaukee / Score: 11-1/ MLB Betting Lines: -147, Total 8.5
- Won – June 10th vs Milwaukee / Score: 3-2 / MLB Betting Lines: -143, Total 10.5
- Loss – June 9th vs Milwaukee / Score: 6-8 / MLB Betting Lines: -143, Total 10
Philadelphia Phillies
- Won – June 15th vs Boston/ Score: 1-0 / MLB Betting Lines: +229, Total 8
- Loss – June 14th vs Boston / Score: 3-7 / MLB Betting Lines: +108, Total 10
- Loss – June 13th @ Boston / Score: 3-4 / MLB Betting Lines: +245, Total 9.5
- Loss – June 12th @ Boston / Score: 5-6 / MLB Betting Lines: +205, Total 11
- Loss – June 11th @ St. Louis / Score: 5-6 / MLB Betting Lines: +127, Total 9
