The Washington Nationals (20-22) travel to face off against the Philadelphia Phillies (31-14) on Friday, May 17th. This game will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and televised on NSPPH. Both the Nationals and Phillies are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 6:40 ET.
Nationals vs Phillies
The Nationals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the White Sox with a 2-0 loss. This was Washington’s 4th straight loss, and they were outscored 10-2 in the series. Heading into the game, the Nationals were at +144 on the money line.
Patrick Corbin got the start for the Nationals and took the loss. He only lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits. The Nationals also wasted a good performance from their bullpen, as three relievers combined to pitch 3 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball.
Washington is 20-22 overall heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Phillies. The Nationals are 3rd in the NL East, trailing the Phillies by 9.5 games. So far, they have been good against other teams in the NL East, putting together a record of 5-2.
At home, the Nationals are just 7-10 this year, but they have gone 13-12 on the road. As the underdog, the Nationals are 17-20 this year, and they are 3-2 when favored. Washington lost the final two games of their series vs. the White Sox. The Nationals are 5-8-1 in series this year and have dropped two straight series.
Washington has been a good bet on the run line this season, going 26-16. They have been especially good on the road, going 17-8, but have failed to cover in their last two road games. They have been an underdog in most of those games, going 23-14 against the run line. Their average run margin in wins is +3.2, while it is -3.3 in losses.
Washington’s over/under record for the season is 18-23, and the average over/under line in their games is 8 runs. When the line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 4-4. Their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game, and the over/under line for their game against the Phillies is set at 7.5 runs. The over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs in 8 of their games this season, and their games have gone over the line in 4 of those games. Their last two games have gone under the total.
Jake Irvin Gets The Start For The Nationals
Jake Irvin is getting the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Phillies on the road. So far, he has made eight starts and four of them have been quality starts. Irvin’s ERA for the season is 3.55, along with a record of 2-3. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going seven innings and giving up two earned runs. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight outings. Opponents are batting .235 off Irvin this season, and his WHIP is 1.09.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Nationals offense is averaging 4 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .225. However, they do come into the game with a collective OBP of .307 and have the 11th fewest strikeouts per game in the league.
Joey Meneses has driven in the most runs for the Nationals this season and is batting just .226, and Eddie Rosario is hitting just .176. However, Rosario has been hot of late, going 11/29 in his last nine games with four homers and eight RBIs. CJ Abrams is hitting .261 this season and has a team-high seven homers.
The Phillies will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Mets with a 6-5 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 8th inning before the Mets scored two runs in the top of the 8th. Philadelphia was the -142 favorite at home going into the game.
Taijuan Walker got the start for the Phillies and took the loss. He only lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits. Alec Bohm was hot at the plate, going 2/5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. The Phillies also had three other players with two hits.
With a record of 31-14, the Phillies lead the NL East by 2.5 games over the Braves. This season, they have gone 8-5 in divisional matchups. The Phillies have been really good at home, going 16-8, and they have gone 15-6 on the road.
Philadelphia has been really good in night games this season, going 19-6. As the favorite, the Phillies are 26-11 and 5-3 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Phillies are 9-2-4 this year and have won four straight series on the road.
When the Phillies win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.9 runs per game. That’s helped them to a 24-21 run line record overall, including a 13-8 mark on the road. As the favorite, they’re 19-18 against the run line, while as the underdog, they’re 5-3.
The Phillies have had a high percentage of games with over/under lines set at 7.5 runs this season, with 62.2% of their games having lines set at that number. Their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 4-8, and their over/under record for the season is 23-20. Their games have averaged 9.0 runs per game this season, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. Their over streak is at 2 games.
Zack Wheeler Gets The Start For The Phillies
Right-hander Zack Wheeler is getting the start for the Phillies today as he faces off against the Nationals at home. He has made six quality starts in his nine outings and has a record of 4-3 with a 2.53 ERA. Wheeler’s ERA at home is 1.74, compared to 4.79 on the road. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up six hits, two earned runs, and one homer in four innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Wheeler is averaging 10.97 strikeouts per nine innings, and his WHIP for the season is .99.
Phillies Offense Breakdown
Philadelphia comes into today’s game as the top-scoring team in the league, averaging 5.3 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.5 runs per contest. The Phillies have been a very patient team at the plate, as they are 3rd in walks and have the league’s 2nd best on-base percentage. So far, they are 5th in home runs and 4th in team batting average.
Not only is Alec Bohm leading the Phillies in RBIs, but he is also 3rd in the league in that category. Bohm is hitting .333 for the season and has gone deep four times. Bryce Harper has also been a big run producer for the team, as he is 2nd on the team with 32 RBIs and is 6th in the league in home runs (10). Harper has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/37 in his last nine games.
Nationals vs Phillies Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Nationals vs. Phillies game is that the Phillies will pick up a win, but at -274, the payout isn’t great. Instead, we are recommending taking the over, with the line sitting at 7.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Zack Wheeler finishing with six strikeouts compared to Jake Irvin with five. If you’re looking for a payout on the money line, Wheeler is a good option, as he is the second-best starter to pick up a win today.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 17, 2024 Nationals, Phillies