Philadelphia Phillies (54-47) vs Baltimore Orioles (62-39)
2023-07-26 18:05:00 EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Philadelphia Phillies -120 / Baltimore Orioles +100 --- Over/Under: 8.5
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The Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies meet in the rubber match of their three-game MLB interleague series in MLB action from Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. Two teams with serious playoff aspirations have one win apiece in this set, who wins the series? Let’s dive in and find out.
O’s Let One Slip Tuesday
The Orioles had a golden chance to come into this matchup on Wednesday pressing for the sweep, but two runs in the bottom of the 9th dealt the O’s a 4-3 loss and snapped their three-game win streak in the process. The loss slid Baltimore to 62-39 on the year, still sitting 1.5 games ahead of Tampa Bay with 3 fewer losses, controlling their own destiny at this point, with a four-game set in September the only other time the Rays and O’s will square off this season. In the month of July, Baltimore ranks 16th in batting average (.244), 18th in team OPS (.728) and 15th in ISO (.174). Anthony Santander leads the Orioles with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs while Adley Rutschman has a team-high 98 hits and a .370 OBP. Austin Hays has a team-best .292 batting average and 97 hits as well for the O’s. Kyle Bradish will get the start for Baltimore here and is 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA and 92 strikeouts this season.
Baltimore Orioles Team Facts
– The Orioles have won eight of their last 10 games as road underdogs.
– The Orioles have covered the run line in each of their last nine games as road underdogs against NL East opponents.
– The Orioles have led after 3 innings in each of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents.
– The Orioles have led after 5 innings in three of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents.
– The Orioles have led after 7 innings in three of their last four games as road underdogs.
Baltimore Orioles Player Prop Facts
– Adley Rutschman has hit a home run in two of his last three appearances with the Orioles as underdogs against NL opponents.
– Austin Hays has recorded an RBI in three of the Orioles’ last four road games against the Phillies.
– Adley Rutschman has recorded at least one hit in each of his last seven appearances against NL opponents that held a winning record.
– James McCann has recorded at least one total base in each of his last seven appearances against NL opponents.
– Kyle Bradish has recorded six or more strikeouts in four of his five previous appearances against NL opponents that held a winning record.
Phils Get Much Needed Win
The Phillies were absolutely dreadful over the last week, but decided to show some heart on Tuesday to pick up just their second win in their last seven games with the triumph over the Orioles in the bottom of the 9th. The Phillies right now are the closest competition to the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, which isn’t saying much as Philly’s 54-47 record leaves them 11 games back in the division. The Phils are though, just 0.5 games back of the Giants and Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The Phillies rank 11th in batting average (.251), 16th in team OPS (.731) and 18th in ISO (.164) in July so far. Bryson Stott leads the Phils with 112 hits and a .300 batting average this season while Kyle Schwarber is Philadelphia’s home run king with 26 homers in addition to a team-high 62 RBIs. Nick Castellanos is right behind with 59 RBIs along with a team-high 26 doubles while Schwarber has the dubious distinction of leading Philadelphia with 133 strikeouts this season. Ranger Suarez is expected to get the nod for Philadelphia in this one and is 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA and 67 strikeouts this season.
Philadelphia Phillies Team Facts
– The Phillies have won seven of their last eight home games against American League opponents.
– The road team has covered the run line in each of the last nine games between the Orioles and Phillies.
– The Phillies have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three games as favourites against American League opponents.
– The Phillies have trailed after 7 innings in four of their last six games as favourites.
– The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Phillies’ last six games as favourites against AL East opponents.
Philadelphia Phillies Player Prop Facts
– Ranger Suarez has recorded five or more strikeouts in each of his last three appearances with the Phillies as favourites.
– Bryce Harper has recorded two or more total bases in 12 of his last 15 home appearances against the Orioles.
– Nick Castellanos has hit a home run in each of the Phillies’ last three Wednesday games.
– Kyle Schwarber has recorded at least one RBI in five of the Phillies’ last six games as home favourites.
– Bryce Harper has recorded at least one hit in each of the Phillies’ last nine games as home favourites.
– Kyle Schwarber ranks 6th in the league in Home Runs (26) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
– The Philadelphia Phillies ranks 3rd in the league for triples this season (21).
– The Philadelphia Phillies ranks 6th in the league for walks allowed this season (291).
– The Baltimore Orioles ranks 5th in the league for doubles this season (189).
– The Baltimore Orioles ranks T8th in the league for triples this season (17).
Chris’ Pick
I was on the Phillies on Tuesday with Kyle Gibson going because I was concerned about regression for him and while the Phillies didn’t directly get to Gibson, they still found a way to win. That being said, I’m going back to the O’s here. Baltimore’s just the better and more consistent team and I actually give them a serious edge in starting pitching with Bradish being arguably Baltimore’s most consistent option to this point in the season. The O’s are also hitting lefties really well since the all-star break and I think one way or another, Baltimore closes the series with a win.
