Thursday, September 8, 2016

Nationals Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Alec Asher vs. A.J. Cole

The Philadelphia Phillies visit Nationals Park on Thursday to play the Washington Nationals. The probable starters are Alec Asher for the Phillies and A.J. Cole for the Nationals. The opening line for this matchup has Philadelphia at +146 and Washington at -156. The over/under was set at 8. The Phillies have a 68-65-5 over/under record and a 70-68-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Nationals are 70-68-0 against the run line and have a 66-65-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Phillies head into this matchup with a 62-76 record, including 32-37 on the road. Starting pitcher Alec Asher is making his season debut for Philadelphia. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.46 and they have given up 454 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the bullpen while being struck out 433 times and walking 168 times this season. As a team, Philadelphia has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.51. The Phillies pitchers have collectively given up 1,251 base hits and 614 earned runs. They have allowed 184 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 382 batters and struck out 1,129. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 4.29.

As a team, Philadelphia is batting .238, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .252 average away from home. The Phillies hold a .384 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .296 which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 29th in baseball with 7.94 hits per game. Cesar Hernandez comes into this game hitting .287 and his on-base percentage is at .354. He has 131 hits this season along with 54 runs scored and 36 runs batted in. He's struck out 96 times and has walked 48 times. Odubel Herrera is hitting .280 and he has an on-base percentage of .358. He has totaled 140 hits so far while scoring 71 runs and he's driven in 42. He has walked 58 times and has struck out 113 times. The Phillies have 1,096 hits, including 199 doubles and 137 home runs. They've stolen 77 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 37 times. Philadelphia has walked 347 times this season and they've struck out 1,133 times as a unit. They've left 866 men on base and have a team OPS of .679. They score 3.7 runs per contest and have scored a total of 510 runs so far this year.

Washington comes into this matchup with a 40-26 home record and a 81-57 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.86, A.J. Cole has a 1-1 record and a 1.02 WHIP. He has 17 strikeouts over the 18.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 12 hits. He has allowed 5.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.4. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.31 and they have given up 352 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the Nationals bullpen while being struck out 401 times and walking 132 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 7.76 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.03 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.46. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,076 base knocks and 480 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 132 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a staff has walked 393 hitters and struck out 1,252. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.18 while their FIP as a staff is 3.58.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .255 average at home. The Nationals hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.74 hits per contest. Wilson Ramos comes into this matchup batting .306 and he has an OBP of .354. He has 131 hits this year along with 54 runs scored and 72 RBI. He's struck out 66 times and has walked on 32 occasions. Daniel Murphy is hitting .343 and he has an OBP of .387. He has collected 168 hits so far while he's scored 83 runs and drove in 98. He has earned a walk 33 times and has punched out 53 times. The Nationals as a unit have 1,206 base hits, including 230 doubles and 181 homers. They have 101 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 32 times. Washington as a team has walked 464 times this year and they have struck out 1,051 times. They've had 952 men left on base and have an OPS of .756. They score 4.79 runs per game and have totaled 661 runs so far this season.

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 68-65-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 70-68-0 against the run line so far this season

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 66-65-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 70-68-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Philadelphia Phillies

09/04/16 P Vincent Velasquez None out for season
08/17/16 P Aaron Nola Elbow 60-day DL (7/29); out for season
08/09/16 P Zach Eflin Knee 60-day DL (8/9); out for season
05/01/16 P Dalier Hinojosa Hand 15-day DL (4/29)
04/24/16 P Charlie Morton Hamstring 60-day DL (4/24); out for season
03/31/16 P Matt Harrison Back 60-day DL (4/2)

Washington Nationals

09/07/16 3B Anthony Rendon Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Wednesday vs. Atlanta Braves
09/03/16 P Joe Ross Shoulder 60-day DL (7/3)
08/18/16 P Sammy Solis Shoulder 15-day DL (8/16)
07/27/16 2B Stephen Drew Vertigo 15-day DL (7/24)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Tony's Pick: Take the Phillies

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