Major League Baseball’s second half starts on Friday night, which includes the Phillies vs. Pirates series starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. With Aaron Nola set to oppose Martin Perez in tonight’s pitching matchup, what’s the best bet at PNC Park?
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
953 Philadelphia Phillies (-154) at 954 Pittsburgh Pirates (+130); o/u 8.5
6:40 p.m. ET, Friday, July 19, 2024
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Phillies vs. Pirates: Bettors Love Philadelphia out of the Break
As of this writing, our MLB Public Betting Page shows that 79% of bets are on the Phillies’ moneyline. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
Nola to start Friday for Phillies
Aaron Nola will start Friday’s series opener against the Pirates. No surprise here as the Phillies made this decision with their starting rotation earlier this week. It’ll probably be Cristopher Sánchez taking the ball on Saturday with Tyler Phillips probably making another spot start in the series finale. We know for sure that Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suárez, both of whom are dealing with minor back issues, will not take the ball this weekend against the Pirates, but are expected to be ready to go early next week for a road series against the Twins.
Perez will start Friday’s series opener for Bucs
Martín Pérez will start Friday’s series opener against the Phillies. It’s an extremely tough matchup out of the gate for Pérez as he’ll square off against a fully-loaded Phillies lineup to open the second half. It’ll be Luis Ortiz and Marco Gonzales this weekend for the rest of the series. We’d strongly recommend avoiding this entire trio for fantasy purposes.
Phillies vs. Pirates MLB Betting Trends
Pirates are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games
Phillies are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pirates are 4-10 SU in their last 14 games played on a Friday when playing at home
Phillies are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against an opponent in the National League
Phillies vs. Pirates MLB BETTING PREDICTION
Take the under. The under is 5-2 in the Phillies’ last seven games versus Pittsburgh, is 4-1 in their last five matchups against a National League foe and is 6-2 in their last eight contests played on a Friday. On the other side, the under is 5-2 in the Pirates’ last seven meetings versus a National League East Division foe.
Phillies vs. Pirates MLB Playoffs Prediction: UNDER 8.5