Cardinals-Phillies prediction: Picks, odds on Sunday, August 27

After racking 19 runs in the first two games of this three-game set, the Philadelphia Phillies (71-58) are looking to strengthen their NL Wild Card positioning and bag a sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals (56-74) on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is set for 1:35 p.m. ET. The Cards will send rookie lefty Drew Rom (0-1, 14.73 ERA) to the mound, while Philly counters with ace Aaron Nola (11-8, 4.49).

The Phillies enter as heavy -218 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with St. Louis at +180. The run total is set at 9.

Cardinals-Phillies picks: Sunday, August 27

Injury report

Cardinals

Day-to-day: 2B/DH Nolan Gorman (lower back strain),
Out: SP Matthew Liberatore (low back tightness), OF Dylan Carlson (lingering ankle soreness, oblique strain), OF Lars Nootbaar (lower abdomen contusion), SP/RP Jake Woodford (right shoulder strain)

Phillies

Out: OF Cristian Pache (right elbow inflammation/hip tightness), SP Ranger Suárez (right hamstring strain)

Starting pitchers

Drew Rom vs. Aaron Nola

St. Louis will send lefty Drew Rom to the hill for his second big-league start, and his first ... really did not go well: Rom got torched for eight runs (six earned) on eight hits and a whopping four walks in just 3.2 innings in a loss to the Pirates. (His 4.82 ERA at Triple-A isn’t much better.) He sits around 90-91 mph with his fastball, and neither his slider nor splitter were commanded very well at all last time out.

Nola’s exasperating season has continued in August: five earned runs, then one, then four, then two over seven innings in a win over the Giants last time out. He still has the arsenal that’s made him among the best righties in the game, and his fastball and curveball were both on point in his most recent outing. Still, he’s yet to be able to put it all together for significant stretches of time this year.

Over/Under pick

The Phillies are a top-five offense over the last two weeks, with 54 runs over their last seven games. Rom was extremely underwhelming in his MLB debut, and Philly might be able to hit this over all by themselves — especially if Nola regresses a bit against a still-dangerous Cardinals lineup.

Pick: Over 9

Moneyline pick

Philly has an overwhelming advantage on the mound that would require a spectacular implosion from Nola to waste. Given the way the Phillies are swinging the bats, they should cruise to another win on Sunday.