MLB: Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Francisco Giants Betting Preview
Monday night will feature a National League battle as the Philadelphia Phillies (20-20) take on the San Francisco Giants (17-23). The Giants will host this one at Oracle Park, with first pitch scheduled for 9:45 pm ET.
The Giants are slight favorites playing at home. They are -110 to win, while the Phillies’ moneyline sits at -106. The runline features San Francisco +1.5 (-188), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.
Phillies Try To Regain Composure
It was a rough day for the Phillies on Sunday. While they won their series against the Rockies, they dropped the finale 4-0 and saw star Bryce Harper ejected in the seventh inning after getting into it with Rockies’ pitcher Jake Bird. Trying to regain their composure, the Phillies will look to take the opener on the road against the Giants.
The Phillies currently sit in second in the NL East, but they are five games back of the Atlanta Braves. Just 9-13 on the road, the Phillies will also look to improve on their away record.
Taking the ball for this opener is 26-year-old lefty Bailey Falter. After seven games, he is still looking for his first win as he is currently 0-6 with a 5.75 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and has 26 strikeouts in 36 innings. In his last start, Falter gave up five runs on six hits over 3.2 innings against the Red Sox.
Offensively, the most productive hitter thus far has been Nick Castellanos. While Kyle Schwarber leads the team with nine home runs, Castellanos is hitting .316/.365/.503 with five home runs, 25 runs batted in, and a team-leading 30 runs scored. In his career against the Giants’ Alex Wood, Castellanos is two for two with a home run.
Giants Look To Get Above .500 At Home
At 17-23, it has been a tough start for the San Francisco Giants. They sit in fourth in the NL West and 8.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, with a win on Monday, the Giants can move over .500 at home, where they are currently 10-10.
Trying to pick up the victory in the opener will be lefty Alex Wood. The 32-year-old veteran is 0-0 in four games with a 2.45 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, and has 12 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched. He pitched a single inning in his last outing, giving up one run on three hits to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
San Francisco currently ranks 25th in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 5.08 runs per game. On the offensive side, they rank 14th in scoring, averaging 4.41 runs per game (3.80 at home).
In the power department, Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis and Lamont Wade Jr are all tied for the team lead with seven home runs. Davis leads the team in runs batted in with 22, while Thairo Estrada leads the team in runs scored with 26.
Take The Phillies To Win On The Road
While Alex Wood has traditionally been a starter in his career, he pitched just three days ago, so this likely won’t be an extended outing for him. As a result, the Giants will rely on a bullpen that ranks third-to-last with a 5.95 ERA.
While Bailey Falter has been anything but exceptional this year, he doesn’t have to be perfect to put the Phillies in a good spot to succeed. If he can just limit the damage, he should pick up his first victory of the year Monday.
Take Philadelphia to win at -106.
