The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies clash Monday in game 1 of an MLB series at Citizens Bank Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

San Francisco Giants Betting Preview

The Giants need a win after losing 8 of their last 11 games. The Giants are still holding onto the second NL wild card spot. The Giants pitching staff is 9th in ERA (3.89), 9th in WHIP (1.24) and 19th in quality starts (19). The Giants’ offense is 21st in runs per game (4.31), 24th in batting average (.238) and 20th in homers (136). JD Davis leads the Giants with 96 hits and 57 RBI, while Thairo Estrada and Michael Conforto have combined for 185 hits and 93 RBI. Scott Alexander gets the ball, and he is 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA and 22 strikeouts this season. Alexander is 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA and 4 strikeouts in his career against the Phillies.

San Francisco Giants Team Facts

• The Giants have won each of their last six games against the Phillies.
• The Giants have covered the run line in each of their last nine games as underdogs against the Phillies.
• The Giants have led after 3 innings in each of their last three Monday night games as road underdogs.
• The Giants have led after 7 innings in three of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Giants’ last nine games at Citizens Bank Park.

San Francisco Giants Player Prop Facts

• LaMonte Wade Jr ranks 9th amongst qualified players for On Base Percentage (.385) this season.

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Preview

The Phillies need a win after losing 5 of their last 7 games. The Phillies are currently locked in the first NL wild card spot. The Phillies pitching staff is 10th in ERA (3.98), 8th in WHIP (1.24) and 9th in quality starts (55). The Phillies’ offense is 12th in runs per game (4.69), 9th in batting average (.256) and 14th in homers (148). Nick Castellanos leads the Phillies with 135 hits and 78 RBI, while Bryson Stott and Trea Turner have combined for 260 hits and 96 RBI. Aaron Nola gets the ball, and he is 10-8 with a 4.58 ERA and 160 strikeouts this season. Nola is 2-2 with a 7.85 ERA and 28 strikeouts in his career against the Giants.

Philadelphia Phillies Team Facts

• The home team has won each of the last seven games between the Giants and Phillies.
• The Phillies have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight games as favorites against the Giants following a loss.
• The Phillies have lost the first inning in each of their last three games as home favorites against NL West opponents.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last nine games between the Giants and Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
• The Phillies have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games as home favorites against NL West opponents.

Philadelphia Phillies Player Prop Facts

• Kyle Schwarber ranks T6th in the league in Home Runs (32) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Philadelphia Phillies ranks 6th in the league for doubles this season (229).
• The Philadelphia Phillies ranks T7th in the league for triples this season (21).
• The San Francisco Giants ranks 30th in the league for triples this season (9).
• The San Francisco Giants ranks 30th in the league for steals this season (46).

Randy’s Pick

The Phillies are getting the benefit of the doubt here because they’re at home and Aaron Nola is on the mound. However, Nola hasn’t been Nola of the past this season, as he has a 4.58 ERA and has given up 27 homers. Scott Alexander has a 4.06 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 37.1 innings. The Giants come into this series playing rough baseball, but let’s not act like the Phillies are coming off a positive week. I’ll gladly take a shot to make 1.5 times my money.