At 6:40 PM ET, the Guardians and Phillies square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and the Phillies are the heavy favorite on the money line (-174). The Guardians are +146, and the over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Cleveland is starting Ben Lively, while the Phillies have Cristopher Sanchez on the mound. The Guardians are currently 1st in the AL Central, while the Phillies are 1st in the NL East. This game can be seen on BSGL.
Cleveland vs. Philadelphia Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Guardians at Phillies
- Where: Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia
- Date: Friday, July 26th
- Betting Odds PHI -174 | CLE +146 O/U 8.5
Guardians Preview
The Guardians will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Tigers with a 3-0 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 2nd inning before the Tigers scored three runs in the top of the 2nd. Cleveland was the -149 favorite at home going into the game.
Gavin Williams put together a good start for the Guardians, going six innings and giving up just three runs on six hits. He also issued only two walks and struck out nine Tigers. Despite the good start, he was still tagged with the loss.
When favored, the Guardians have been strong this season with a 45-23 record, but as underdogs, they are 16-18. As underdogs, Cleveland has a run line record of 20-14, which is better than their 29-39 run line record as favorites. The Guardians are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 4.5-game lead over the Twins in the AL Central.
The over/under line for today's game is set at 8.5 runs, which is the average total runs scored in Guardians games this season. Their over/under record is 49-47, and their current under streak is at 2 games. So far, 53.9% of their games have had lower totals than today's line of 8.5 runs.
Cleveland is sending Ben Lively to the mound today vs. the Phillies, and he comes in with a record of 8-6 and an ERA of 3.57. Lively has made 17 starts this year and has pitched well on the road, going 3-5 with a 4.39 ERA. In comparison, he is 5-1 at home with a 2.68 ERA. Lively's last outing came at home, where he took the loss, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. So far, he has allowed 15 home runs and is averaging 7.71 strikeouts per nine innings.
Jose Ramirez has been a big run producer for the Guardians this season, as his 82 RBIs are 2nd best in the league, and his 24 homers are 5th in the MLB. Ramirez is also batting .273 for the season. Josh Naylor is 2nd on the team with 72 RBIs and has also hit 22 homers so far. Naylor's batting average is a bit lower at .238.
Over the team's last six games, Jose Ramirez has gone 6/23 with three RBIs, while Jhonkensy Noel has just three hits in his last 13 at-bats. Noel and Ramirez have each homered in the team's last five games.
Phillies Preview
The Phillies will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Twins with a 5-4 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Twins scored three runs in the bottom of the 7th. Philadelphia was the -135 favorite on the money line going into the game.
Aaron Nola was on the hill for the Phillies, going six innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out six. However, the Phillies couldn't close things out, and Gregory Soto took the loss out of the bullpen. The Phillies also wasted a big game from Trea Turner, who homered in the 1st inning, going 2/5.
Philadelphia has an overall series record of 19-11-5, but they have lost their last three series. The Phillies are 37-16 at home this season, and as favorites, they have a 56-30 record. Their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game, resulting in a 46-51 over/under record. When the O/U line is 8.5, their record is 7-11.
The Phillies are looking to bounce back after dropping two of three in their previous series vs. the Twins. They currently lead the NL East by 9.5 games over the Braves, with an overall record of 64-38. In divisional games, they have a 15-10 record.
Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez has made 19 starts this season, and he comes into the game with a record of 7-5 and an ERA of 2.97. Sánchez has pitched much better at home, as he is 6-1 with a 1.62 ERA compared to 1-4 with a 5.65 ERA on the road. The left-hander has a shutout and a complete game this season, along with 10 quality starts. In his last outing, Sánchez took the loss, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Sánchez has allowed at least one homer in three straight outings.
Philadelphia comes into today's game as one of the league's top offenses, averaging 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.4 runs per game. Overall, they are 6th in home runs and have the league's 3rd best team batting average. The Phillies have been very good at avoiding strikeouts this season and are also near the top of the league in walks.
Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber have been two of the league's top power hitters this season, as they are 1st and 2nd on the team in home runs, respectively. Harper is also 11th in the league in RBIs and is batting .292. However, Harper has struggled a bit of late, going just 4/22 in his last five games. Alec Bohm comes into the game with a team-leading 71 RBIs and is batting .296.
Guardians vs. Phillies Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs -101
Our prediction for today's Guardians vs. Phillies matchup is to take the Phillies to pick up the win at home. However, at -174, the payout isn't great, and we actually like the over/under line of 8.5 runs better.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Christopher Sanchez picking up the win for the Phillies, and he is actually a better payout to win today than the Phillies money line. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Phillies.
