The Philadelphia Phillies were favorites to win the NL East Division, but they are fading a bit and falling further behind the first-place Atlanta Braves. The Phils play game 2 of a series at division-rival Washington on Tuesday night with the Nationals as short MLB Betting favorites.
How to Bet Phillies vs Nationals MLB Odds & Game Info
- When: Tuesday, 7:05 PM ET
- Where: Nationals Park
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Zach Eflin/Erick Fedde
- TV: MLB Network
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: ESPN 1420
- MLB Odds: Washington Nationals -110 (Total 10)
Why Bet on Philadelphia?
Injuries and consistency issues have built up and have caught up with the Phillies. One of those is Maikel Franco, who began the year as very productive No. 8 hitter in a deep lineup but has been really struggling of late. As recently as May 1, Franco was hitting .262, slugging .516, seven homers and 25 RBI. On June 17, his average is down to .205. Since May 1 he has hit just two home runs and driven in only seven runs.
Projected closer David Robertson, a big-money acquisition in the most recent off-season, has not pitched since April 14 after losing a game and racking up two holds in seven appearances. He remains on the injured list and isn’t likely close to return. Between now and July 14, the Phillies play 14 of their 23 games against the Nats and Mets. That’s two division rivals who are sitting on the fence between buying and selling before the July 31 trade deadline.
Of course, it’s the return of former Nationals superstar Bryce Harper to D.C. – it’s his second trip back. I’m sure he will still be booed quite a bit every time at bat. The 26-year-old superstar has rebounded from a slow start and is now up to 12 homers and 49 RBIs this season as of Monday. The Phillies expect outfielder Jay Bruce to avoid the injured list. Bruce had to leave Saturday’s game with left hamstring tightness, but it’s considered minor.
Philly’s Zach Eflin (6-6) took the loss last Wednesday as the Phillies fell 2-0 to the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over eight innings while striking out nine. The nine K’s tied the right-hander’s career high, but his eighth quality start of the season went to waste when the Philly offense couldn’t solve Merrill Kelly. Eflin will carry a 2.81 ERA and 66:19 K:BB through 80 innings into Tuesday. Eflin has been the Phillies’ best and most consistent performer this season, at least according to his 2.7 WAR per Baseball-Reference.com.
Eflin posted a 5.93 ERA (9 ER/13.2 IP) against the Nationals in 2018 but has turned it around in 2019, going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/12.0 IP) in 2 starts against Washington.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.87
- Hits: 8.22
- Walks: 3.68
- Strike Outs: 8.54
Defense
- Runs: 4.57
- Hits: 8.87
- Walks: 3.46
- Strike Outs: 8.53
Why Bet on Washington?
Anthony Rendon has been raking of late for Washington. He homered in Sunday’s win over Arizona. Rendon clobbered a two-run dinger — his 16th round-tripper of the season — to left field off Diamondbacks reliever Zack Godley in the sixth inning. The 29-year-old third baseman has gone deep six times this month. He’s hitting .321/.415/.660 with 52 runs scored, 50 RBI and one stolen base on the year. Rendon is among NL leaders in on-base percentage (3rd, .415), OPS (3rd, 1.075), slugging percentage (3rd, .660) and batting average (8th, .321).
Matt Adams had the game of his career Sunday, hitting a three-run homer and a grand slam for a career-high seven RBIs. Adams has hit safely in his last six starts, going 9-for-23 (.391) with two doubles, three homers, eight RBI, one walk and six runs scored. Over his last 17 games Trea Turner is hitting .333 (24-for-72) with seven doubles, three triples, three home runs, nine RBI, seven walks, five stolen bases, and 16 runs scored.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki was lifted from Sunday’s game versus the Diamondbacks after a Tanner Rainey pitch caught him in the neck/collarbone area. The pitch bounced in the dirt and came up to hit Suzuki in a bad spot. Not clear yet if Suzuki will miss any time.
Erick Fedde has come down to earth a bit after a strong start to the season, but he has been making the most of his opportunity to stick in the Nats’ rotation. Fedde (1-1) allowed five earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one across six innings to take the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
Fedde’s outing was ultimately derailed by two home runs, which accounted for three of his five earned runs. He managed to work fairly deep into the game despite his struggles, needing only 81 pitches to record 18 outs. Fedde has managed to prevent runs fairly effectively in five starts this season, allowing 11 baserunners to cross the plate across 26 innings. He has made three career starts against the Phillies with a 4.32 ERA in 16 2/3 innings.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.81
- Hits: 8.47
- Walks: 3.29
- Strike Outs: 8.79
Defense
- Runs: 4.90
- Hits: 8.44
- Walks: 3.21
- Strike Outs: 9.46
Phillies vs Nationals MLB Betting Trends
- Phillies are 4-0 in Eflin’s last 4 starts vs. a team with a losing record
- Phillies are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 5 games on the road
- Nationals are 1-5 in Fedde’s last 6 starts vs. a team with a winning record
- Nationals are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games
