Phillies vs. Nationals Pick
One of baseball’s best pitchers is on the mound Friday night as the Philadelphia Phillies continue a four-game series at the Washington Nationals. First pitch is at 7:05PM EST.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Nationals are a massive -360 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Phillies are a +280 underdog and the over-under is set at 7.5.
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Pitching for the Phillies will be Jake Thompson (1-1, 4.50 ERA), while the Nationals counter with NL Cy Young Award candidate Max Scherzer (13-5, 2.19). Thompson holds a 1.58 WHIP with 21 strikeouts over 26 innings in seven appearances (four starts). He was strong in his last start as he allowed one earned run on three hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings in a 3-1 win at Miami. Scherzer has a 0.85 WHIP with 232 strikeouts in 172 1/3 innings. He gave up one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks over five innings in a 3-2 win at Milwaukee his last time out before departing with a calf injury. He is deemed ready to go Friday night. Washington has won his last four starts. Scherzer holds a 2.64 ERA over 12 home starts.
Philadelphia is 53-87 on the season and 25-50 on the road, while the Nationals are 86-54 and 41-27 at home. Washington has won seven of the last 10 meetings and the total has gone under six times.
The Nationals won the series opener Thursday night by a count of 4-3. Trea Turner had a hit and two RBIs to pace the offense. Adam Lind was 2-for-3 with a run. Matt Wieters added an RBI double and scored a run. Tanner Roark gave up three earned runs over six innings to get the win. Sean Doolittle notched his 16th save. Odubel Herrera went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk to lead the Phillies. Jorge Alfaro and Tommy Joseph each added a solo home run. Adam Morgan suffered the loss in relief.
Washington is one of the largest favorites of the season tonight with Scherzer on the mound. But we like the over. Scherzer didn’t look like himself last time out and might still be favoring the calf a bit. He can also be prone to giving up a long ball or two. Meanwhile, the Nationals should be able to figure out Thompson and chase him from the game. The low total means Scherzer can still be in close to usual form for this to go over.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: PHILLIES/NATIONALS OVER 7.5
