Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies Betting Picks & Predictions
The Washington Nationals face the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of their three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. Washington is coming off a 4-1 win
Game outlook
The Washington Nationals face the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of their three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. Washington is coming off a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday and have won four of their last five games, while the Phillies swept the Chicago Cubs in a three-game series. The Nationals will be without four pitchers and two positional players Israel Pineda and Victor Robles, while the Phillies are without two pitchers and positional player Rhys Hoskins. MacKenzie Gore (ERA: 3.89) will be the starting pitcher for the Nationals and Zack Wheeler (ERA: 3.76) will be starting for the Phillies, with the Phillies opening as favourites at -202.
Phillies Offensive Numbers Place 10th in MLB, Wheeler Leads Staff with 106 Strikeouts
Offensively, the Philadelphia Phillies have posted a team batting average of .257 which is 10th in Major League Baseball. They rank 11th in slugging percentage (.417) and are 16th in on-base percentage (.321). The Phillies have scored 353 runs, good for 18th in the big leagues. Kyle Schwarber is the team leader in home runs with 21, while Nick Castellanos is second with 10. Castellanos, however, has been the most productive hitter with 24 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, and a team-high 49 RBIs; Alec Bohm is second-best on the club in RBIs, with 47. In their 80-game season thus far, Philadelphia has totaled 147 doubles, 17 triples, and 86 home runs. Currently, Philadelphia holds a team ERA of 4.15 — good for 15th in the majors — while their WHIP of 1.25 has earned them a ninth-place ranking. Philly's starting rotation has earned an impressive 34 Quality Starts, good for ninth in baseball. The pitching staff holds opposing hitters to a .242 average, which stands at 15th in the league. Taijuan Walker leads the team in victories at 9, while Zack Wheeler — the starter for Saturday's game — is the leader in strikeouts at 106 and holds a 6-4 record with a 3.76 ERA.