Phillies prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

Two National League playoff hopefuls collide as the San Francisco Giants take on the Philadelphia Phillies. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Giants-Phillies prediction, pick, and how to watch.

The Giants come in after losing two of three to the Braves and have lost seven of their last ten games. They have been facing a tough schedule as of late. Their last nine games were against the Rangers, Rays, and Braves, but they lost each series. The Giants did win their last game though. They got to Max Fried for three runs and then scored on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning. Currently, the Giants are 65-59 on the season, which puts them in the second Wild Card spot. They are a half-game in front of the Cubs, who have the last spot, while two games behind the Phillies.

Meanwhile, the Phillies lost two of three to the Nationals over the weekend. They also come in with some struggles. The Phillies have lost four of their last six games. Still, the Phillies are 67-57 on the year. While they are 13.5 games behind the runaway Braves in the division, they do have the top Wild Card spot.

Here are the Giants-Phillies MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Giants-Phillies Odds

San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-152)

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+126)

Over: 8.5 (-110)

Under: 8.5 (-110)

How To Watch Giants vs. Phillies

TV: NBCSBA/NBCSP

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT

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Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread

The Giants have been led this year by their pitching staff. On the season they are ninth in team ERA, while sitting ninth in WHIP, but 21st in opponent batting average. Today they send Scott Alexander to the mound. He has been used as an open six times this year. In those six opens, he has pitched 5.1 innings total and given up five runs. In three of the starts, he did not give up a run, but in one of them, he gave up three runs without getting an out. Overall, he has not been good this month. Alexander has pitched six innings this month, giving up six runs. Still, the Giants have the eighth-best bullpen ERA overall, so if Alexander can get off to a good start, it could be good for the Giants.

Meanwhile, the offense has not been the strong suit for the Giants. They are 22nd in runs scored while sitting 24th in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage, and 24th in slugging. They do have some players heading into this game hitting fairly well. Thario Estrada has hit .318 in the last week while driving in four runs. He has done this with the help of a home run and two doubles. He has also scored twice in the last week. Meanwhile, Wilmer Flores has been getting on base a fair amount. He is getting on base at a .381 rate while hitting .316. He has hit two home runs in the last week which has led to him scoring twice and driving in four runs.

Getting on base is something Michael Conforto has been doing a lot of. While hitting .389 in the last week, he is getting on base at a .476 clip in the last week. He is not driving in a ton of runs, with just one RBI in the last week, but he has scored five times to lead the team. Meanwhile, Joc Pederson has scored three times in the last week as well. He is hitting just .235 with one RBI, but he has been getting on base at a .350 rate. The biggest issue for the Giants as of late has been the strikeouts. In the last six games, the Giants have struck out 59 times.

Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

While losing two of three to the Nationals, the offense was solid for the Phillies. They scored 22 runs in the three games. On the year, the Phillies are 12th in runs scored, while sitting ninth in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage and eighth in slugging. In the last week, it has been Jake Cave driving in a chunk of runs. In his last five games, he has two doubles and three home runs while hitting .438. That has led to him driving in six runs and scoring five times. Nich Astellanos has also been driving in runs. He has five RBIs in the last week, with a home run and three doubles. He is hitting just .227, and struggling with strikeouts though. In the last five games, Castellanos has struck out 11 times.

Meanwhile, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber are all hitting home runs. All three of them have two home runs in the last given games. Schwarber has done this while hitting just .176, but he has five RBIs. Harper is hitting better, sitting at .333 with a .500 on-base percentage, but his only two RBIs are off two solo home runs. Still, he has scored six times in the last week. The same is true for Turner. Turner has two home runs and two RBIs in the last week. He is hitting just .211 in those games though, but he has scored three times.

The Phillies will send Aaron Nola to the mound today in this one. He is 10-8 on the year with a 4.58 ERA. Three of the last four starts have been a struggle for him. In his last four starts, he has pitched 20 innings and given up 17 runs, with 15 of them earned. That is good for a 6.75 ERA in his last four starts as he has gone 1-2 in those games. He also has been giving up a fair amount of home runs. In the eight starts since the start of July, he has given up ten home runs.

Final Giants-Phillies Prediction & Pick

This game will come down to Aaron Nola He has been struggling as of late, and if he struggles again, the Phillies will lose. Still, the Giants offense has not been great, and they are struggling. This should be a close game and potentially low scoring. Take the Giants to cover in a one-run game.

Final Giants-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Giants +1.5 (-152)