A very underrated series opens Friday night in Philadelphia as Milwaukee makes its only visit of the season to open a three-game set. I could easily see these teams facing off in the 2018 wild-card game in the National League. The Phils are short MLB lines favorites for Friday.
The Phillies suffered a crushing loss at the Cubs on Wednesday thanks to a walk-off two-out grand slam by Chicago’s Jason Heyward. In addition, outfielder Nick Williams left the game with soreness in his left wrist. Williams was replaced by Dylan Cozens in the fifth inning.
The Phillies have collected at least one extra-base hit in 55 consecutive games (since 4/4) and are one of just three teams in 2018 to have a streak of 50 or more straight games with an extra-base hit. This current stretch marks Philadelphia’s longest extra-base hit streak since August 30, 2008-June 25, 2009 when they did so in 97 straight games.
There was some good news Wednesday as shortstop J.P. Crawford was activated the 10-day disabled list after missing over a month with a right forearm strain. He was batting just .188/.246/.328 in 21 games before the injury and also struggled offensively on his minor league rehab assignment. Scott Kingery moves back into a super-utility role after serving as the Phillies’ primary shortstop for the last five weeks. The team still has reliever Pat Neshek and outfielder Rhys Hoskins on the DL.
How to Bet Brewers at Phillies MLB Lines & Game Info – June 8th
When: Friday, 7:05 PM ET Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Probable pitchers (away/home): Jhoulys Chacin/Vince Velasquez TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv Radio: 620 AM (Milwaukee) / 94.1 FM (Philadelphia) Opening MLB Lines: Phillies -125, Brewers +115 (8)Who’s the best team in the NL? pic.twitter.com/c6zmVFw2c0
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 7, 2018
Season Series
First Meeting. Last year, these teams split six games, each winning two of three at home. This decade, Milwaukee is 15-11 in Philadelphia.Why Bet on Milwaukee?
The Brewers enter on a three-game losing streak after being swept in a two-game interleague series in Cleveland on Wednesday. Outfielder Ryan Braun was out of the lineup on Wednesday but should be back in there Friday. Braun is 1 stolen base away from reaching 200 for his career. Christian Yelich delivered two hits Wednesday in the loss. He doubled and scored Milwaukee’s only run in the third inning. Yelich singled again in the eighth and made an excellent defensive play in the bottom half of the frame, robbing Francisco Lindor with a diving catch in left field. He is slashing an impressive .301/.373/.474 with seven homers, seven steals and 37 runs scored. Travis Shaw is batting .293 with 7 HR and 18 RBI over his last 24 games. Overall, he is among the National League leaders in HR (14), extra-base hits (28) and RBI (38).Who Will Start Pitching for Milwaukee?
It’s Jhoulys Chacin (4-1, 3.39) for the Brew Crew. Chacin struck out five and earned the win with 5.2 scoreless innings last Saturday, allowing three hits and a walk against the White Sox. Chacin rebounded from his previous start — he allowed five runs against the Mets — just missing out on a quality start Saturday. The 30-year-old has allowed more than two runs or four hits in just one of his last six starts. The team is 10-3 in his starts this season. Chacin has made 3 quality starts and opponents are batting .232 (59-for-254, 5 HR) off him. He is 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 8 games vs. the Phillies (42.1ip, 10er). He earned a 2-1 win in his only start vs. Philadelphia last season on 7/8 at Citizens Bank Park (6.1ip, 3h, 1r, 1er, 2bb, 6k, 1hr). Chacin is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 5 career games (3 starts) at Citizens Bank Park (21ip, 6er).Why Bet on Philadelphia?
The Phillies suffered a crushing loss at the Cubs on Wednesday thanks to a walk-off two-out grand slam by Chicago’s Jason Heyward. In addition, outfielder Nick Williams left the game with soreness in his left wrist. Williams was replaced by Dylan Cozens in the fifth inning.
The Phillies have collected at least one extra-base hit in 55 consecutive games (since 4/4) and are one of just three teams in 2018 to have a streak of 50 or more straight games with an extra-base hit. This current stretch marks Philadelphia’s longest extra-base hit streak since August 30, 2008-June 25, 2009 when they did so in 97 straight games.
There was some good news Wednesday as shortstop J.P. Crawford was activated the 10-day disabled list after missing over a month with a right forearm strain. He was batting just .188/.246/.328 in 21 games before the injury and also struggled offensively on his minor league rehab assignment. Scott Kingery moves back into a super-utility role after serving as the Phillies’ primary shortstop for the last five weeks. The team still has reliever Pat Neshek and outfielder Rhys Hoskins on the DL.
Who Takes the Mound for Philadelphia?
It’s Vince Velasquez here. Velasquez (4-6, 3.82) allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out nine over 6.1 innings in a loss to the Giants last Saturday. Velasquez hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since April 29, and he currently ranks sixth in the National League in strikeouts with 79 (16th in MLB). Velasquez has posted a 2.14 ERA (8 ER, 33.2 IP) over his last six starts (since 5/5) with 45 strikeouts (32.6% SO rate). But the Phillies are just 3-3 in those starts as the offense struggles. The Phillies, at 19-9 (.679) at home this season, own the best home record in the National League, third-best in the majors, behind only the Red Sox (22-8, .733) and Yankees (22-9, .710).Latest MLB Lines Trends
- Milwaukee is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
- Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee’s last 7 games
- Philadelphia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
- Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia’s last 7 games
