The Phillies are hosting the Braves today at 7:10 PM ET at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and they are looking to extend their lead in the NL East, as they are 80-56. However, the Braves are 2nd in the NL East and their overall record is 74-62.
There does appear to be a chance of rain in Philadelphia on Sunday, with the forecasted temperature being 86 degrees. Aaron Nola is starting for the Phillies, and he is facing off against Spencer Schwellenbach. On the money line, the Phillies are the favorite at -142, while the Braves have odds of +121. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and this game can be seen on ESPN.
Braves Look to Bounce Back Against Phillies with Schwellenbach on the Mound,
Atlanta has won five straight series, and their overall series record is 23-15-5 this year. As the favorite, the Braves are 62-47 and 12-15 as the underdog. Looking at their most recent games, the Braves are 7-3 over their last ten, but they have lost two of the first three games of this series vs. the Phillies. The Braves are 38-34 as the visiting team, and they are 36-28 at home. The Braves are 23-20 in divisional games and are six games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead.
Spencer Schwellenbach is getting the start for the Braves today, and he is 5-6 with a 3.72 ERA this season. In his last outing, he went 4 2/3 innings and gave up no earned runs. Schwellenbach will be facing a Phillies lineup that is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. The over/under line for this game is set at 8 runs. The Braves are 8-13-1 when the over/under line is set at 8 runs. Marcell Ozuna has been the Braves top hitter this season, and he is leading the team in batting average, on-base percentage, home runs, and RBIs. Matt Olson has 4 home runs and 13 RBIs over his last nine games.
Phillies Look to Sweep Braves at Home Behind Red-Hot Nola and Stellar Offense,
With an overall record of 80-56, the Phillies lead the NL East by six games over the Braves. Philadelphia will be at home today, closing out their series vs. the Braves. So far, they have gone 22-15 in the division and have won two straight series. At home, the Phillies have gone 46-25 this year, and they are just above .500 at 34-31 on the road. As the favorite, Philadelphia is 68-41 this year, and they are 45-22 as the favorite at home. Looking at their overall series record, the Phillies are 23-15-6 this year. The Philadelphia Phillies have an over/under record of 63-66 this season, with an average combined run average of 8.8 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 17-15-1. Overall, 67 of their games have had over/under lines set at more than 8 runs, accounting for 49.3% of their games.
Aaron Nola is coming off a dominant outing, as he didn’t give up a run vs. the Astros in his last start. Against the Astros, he pitched seven innings, picking up the win in the outing. Looking back at his last three starts, Nola has finished with a no-decision in two of them. He has a record of 12-6 this season and an ERA of 3.30. Nola’s WHIP for the season is 1.16. This year, he has one complete game shutout and 17 quality starts. Per nine innings, Nola is averaging 8.28 strikeouts and 2.27 walks. The Phillies have been a solid offensive team this season, ranking 8th in runs per game with 4.8. Their batting average of .257 is 3rd in the league, and their .326 OBP is 5th. At home, the Phillies have been even better, averaging 5.1 runs per game, which is 3rd in the league. Their top hitters this season have been Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber. Harper leads the team with a .369 OBP and 26 home runs. J.T. Realmuto has been hot at the plate, hitting .333 with 3 home runs in his last 6 games.
Phillies Favored in Tight Battle Against Braves: Money Line Bet Offers Value,
Our pick for this Braves vs. Phillies matchup is to take the Phillies on the money line at -142. We actually have the Phillies winning this one by a score of 5-4, so there is a little bit of value in taking them on the money line and not on the run line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Aaron Nola finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for 16th among starters. As for Spencer Schwellenbach, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is fourth best among starters.
