At 1:35 PM ET from Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia, we have an NL East matchup between the Nationals and Phillies. Washington is 55-69 and they are 4th in the NL East, while the Phillies are leading the division with a record of 73-50.
The money line odds have the Phillies at -177 compared to the Nationals at +148. Sunday's over/under line is sitting at 9.5 runs, and MASN will be televising this one.
Washington vs. Philadelphia Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Nationals at Phillies
- Where: Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia
- Date: Sunday, August 18th
- Betting Odds PHI -177 | WSH +148 O/U 9.5
Nationals vs Phillies Last Game Recap
Philadelphia cruised to a 5-1 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Phillies had a huge 6th inning, scoring four of their five runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their only run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Phillies were favored at -234 on the money line.
Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies and went just five innings but gave up just one hit and one earned run. He finished with four strikeouts but issued five walks. On the other side, MacKenzie Gore got the start for the Nationals, going just 5 2/3 innings while giving up five runs and took the loss.
Nick Castellanos and Weston Wilson each had two hits and an RBI for the Phillies' offense. Alex Call had the only RBI for the Nationals, going 1/4.
Nationals Preview
Washington is struggling, having lost four consecutive games and three in a row to the Phillies. The Nationals are 18.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East with a 55-69 record. In games with an over/under line of 9.5, the over has hit in seven of 15 matchups.
As underdogs, the Nationals are 60-44 against the run line this season, and their games have averaged 9.0 runs per game. Overall, Washington has a 16-19-3 series record and they are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
Jake Irvin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Phillies on the road. He has made 25 starts this season and has a record of 9-10 with an ERA of 3.72. Looking at his overall numbers, Irvin has a WHIP of 1.13 and has issued just 2.11 walks per nine innings. Out of his 25 starts, Irvin has turned in 14 quality starts. In his last outing, he went six innings, giving up two earned runs, and got the win. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. The right-hander has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 7-3 and an ERA of 3.74 compared to 2-7 with a 4.55 ERA at home.
Washington's offense has been one of the worst home run hitting teams in the league this season, as they are just 26th in the league in that category. Overall, they are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. The Nationals are also just 20th in the league in terms of on-base percentage and have the 5th most strikeouts in the MLB.
Heading into today's game, Keibert Ruiz is on a four-game hitting streak, and over his last four games, he is 5/17 with two homers. James Wood has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/19 in his last five games. For the season, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. are the team's top two home run hitters, and they are also the team's top two hitters in terms of RBIs.
Phillies Preview
Philadelphia is favored in today's game with the Nationals, as they have a 41-20 record as the favorite at home and an overall home record of 42-22. The Phillies are on a four-game winning streak and have an overall record of 73-50, putting them eight games ahead of the Braves in the NL East.
The over/under line for today's game is set at 9.5 runs, and the over has gone 4-7 in Phillies games with that line. Philadelphia's games this season have averaged 8.9 runs, and their overall run line record is 61-62, with an average run margin of +0.8 runs per game.
Right-hander Taijuan Walker gets the start for the Phillies today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Marlins. In that start, he went 4 innings, giving up 3 earned runs, and took the loss. Walker has actually taken the loss in each of his last three outings. Looking back further, he has a record of 3-4 and an ERA of 5.68. Opponents have hit .279 off Walker this season, and he has issued 3.79 walks per nine innings compared to 7.58 strikeouts.
Philadelphia's offense has been one of the league's best this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game (6th) and batting a collective .258, which is the 4th best mark in the MLB. They also have the 5th best on-base percentage in the league and are 2nd in home runs at home, averaging 5.3 runs per game. Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber have been the team's top power threats, with Schwarber's 28 homers being the best mark on the team and 8th in the league.
Bohm is batting .296 for the season and went 6/22 in his last six games with four runs scored and seven RBIs. Schwarber has struggled of late, going just 3/25 in his last six games. Nick Castellanos has been hot of late, going 9/24 in his last six games and is currently on a six-game hitting streak.
Nationals vs. Phillies Prediction: Under 9.5 Runs -114
Our predicted final score for this one is a 5-4 win for the Phillies. However, with the money line payout for a Phillies win being -177, we recommend taking the under at 9.5 runs. You can get the under at -114, and we have this game finishing with a combined nine runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Taijuan Walker is projected to finish with four strikeouts, and he is a good option to pick up a win today. As for Jake Irvin, we have him finishing with five strikeouts, and his chances of getting a win are right in the middle of the pack.
