Washington Nationals (20-23) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (32-14)
May 18, 2024 6:05 pm EDT
The Line: Philadelphia Phillies -179 / Washington Nationals +151; Over/Under: +7.5
(Get latest betting odds)
In this article we will formulate a Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals prediction for this MLB game on Saturday, May 18th at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game two in the series.
Phillies are Leading the NL East
The Philadelphia Phillies are 32-14 this year and they have won six of their last eight games. Philadelphia won game one in this series by a score of 4-2 on Friday night. Prior to this series, the Phillies won three out of four against the Mets, won two out of three against the Marlins, and split a two game set with the Blue Jays. Philadelphia has won 17 of their last 21 games and they are leading the NL East by 3.5 games over the Braves.
The Philadelphia pitching staff has a 3.17 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a .222 opponent batting average. The Phillies offense has scored 241 runs with a .257 batting average and a .335 on base percentage. Bryce Harper is batting .263 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI’s for the Phillies this season. Philadelphia is third in the MLB in team ERA and they are second in runs scored, as they have have scored at least four runs in eight straight games.
Nationals are Struggling to Score
The Washington Nationals are 20-23 this season and they have lost five of their last six games. Washington dropped game one in this series and will try to bounce back here. Prior to this series, the Nationals lost two out of three against the White Sox, lost two out of three against the Red Sox, and won two out of three against Baltimore. Washington has been up and down this season, but they have lost nine of their last 15 games and they are third in the NL East behind the Braves and Phillies.
The Washington pitching staff has a 3.77 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and a .260 opponent batting average. The Nationals offense has scored 168 runs with a .223 batting average and a .305 on base percentage. CJ Abrams is batting .261 with seven home runs and 20 RBI’s for the Nationals this season. Washington is 27th in runs scored so far this season and they have scored two runs or fewer in five of their last six games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Philadelphia is Cristopher Sanchez, who is 2-3 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP over 42.0 innings pitched this season. Sanchez has allowed one earned run or fewer in three of his last five starts, but has allowed three earned runs or more in two of his last three. The projected starting pitcher for Washington is MacKenzie Gore, who is 2-4 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP over 40.0 innings pitched this year. Gore has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four straight starts, but has allowed at least five hits in three straight.
Why the Philadelphia Phillies will win
The Phillies have won each of their last nine Saturday night home games against National League opponents.
The Nationals have lost each of their last four night games against National League opponents that held a winning record.
The Phillies have covered the run line in each of their last nine Saturday night home games against National League opponents.
The Nationals have failed to cover the run line each of their last four night games against National League opponents that held a winning record.
The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last six night games against NL East opponents that held a winning record.
The Nationals have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games.
Total Runs Facts
Each of the Nationals’ last seven games as road underdogs have gone UNDER the total runs line.
Eight of the Phillies’ last nine night games after playing the previous day have gone OVER the total runs line.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Phillies’ last six night games at Citizens Bank Park.
Matchup/League Facts
The Philadelphia Phillies rank 1st in the league for strikeouts this season (426).
The Philadelphia Phillies rank 2nd in the league for runs scored this season (241).
The Washington Nationals rank 30th in the league for hits this season (315).
The Washington Nationals rank 1st in the league for home runs allowed this season (29).
Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals Prediction
Philadelphia comes into this game as one of the best teams in the MLB so far this season and they are 17-8 at home this year. Washington is 13-13 on the road, but their offense has really struggled in recent games. This should be a very solid pitching matchup, as both starters have been strong recently. This Philadelphia team has been great with their hitting and pitching and I just can’t go against them in their current form. My Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals prediction is for the Phillies to win by at least two runs.
