Two clubs in the NL East — the Washington Nationals (55-66) and the Philadelphia Phillies (70-50) — clash on Thursday at 6:40 p.m. ET, at Citizens Bank Park.
The Nationals are a big underdog (+232 on the moneyline) when they square off against the Phillies (-286). The Phillies will give the ball to Zack Wheeler (11-5) versus the Nationals and Mitchell Parker (6-6).
The Phillies won their last contest versus the Marlins by a 9-5 score yesterday, with Jose Ruiz picking up the win pitching going 2/3 of an inning without giving up a hit or an earned run while striking out one. J.T. Realmuto went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead them offensively.
The Nationals were beaten by the Orioles 4-1 yesterday. Alex Call went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI, and DJ Herz was handed the loss, throwing six innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits while striking out five.
Before watching this Phillies vs. Nationals matchup, here’s what you need to know about Thursday’s action on the diamond, including viewing options.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 3:16 p.m. ET. For a full list of Sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Phillies (-286, bet $286 to win $100)
- Underdog: Nationals (+232, bet $100 to win $232)
- Over/under: 8
Phillies vs. Nationals: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Thursday, August 15, 2024
- Game Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Citizens Bank Park
- TV Channel: MASN
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Phillies stats and trends
Phillies betting records
- This season, the Phillies have won 58 out of the 96 games, or 60.4%, in which they’ve been favored.
- Philadelphia has played as favorites of -286 or more twice this season and split those games.
- The moneyline for this contest implies a 74.1% chance of a victory for the Phillies.
- So far this season, Philadelphia and its opponents have hit the over in 56 of 120 games with a total.
- The Phillies are 58-61-0 against the spread this season.
Zack Wheeler (Phillies probable starter)
- Wheeler makes the start for the Phillies, his 24th of the season. He is 11-5 with a 2.78 ERA and 156 strikeouts through 142 2/3 innings pitched.
- The right-hander’s last appearance was on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he tossed six innings, surrendering two earned runs while allowing seven hits.
- The 34-year-old has a 2.78 ERA and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 23 games this season, while allowing a batting average of .195 to opposing hitters.
- Wheeler is aiming for his third quality start in a row.
- Wheeler will try to extend a nine-game streak of pitching five or more innings (he’s averaging 6.2 frames per appearance).
- He has had seven appearances this season in which he did not surrender an earned run.
- The opposing Nationals offense has the 25th-ranked slugging percentage (.375) and is last in MLB play with 97 home runs. It has a collective .244 batting average, and is 16th in MLB with 979 total hits and 18th in MLB play scoring 518 runs.
- Head-to-head against the Nationals this season, Wheeler has pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits while striking out six.
- Among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season, the 34-year-old’s 2.78 ERA ranks fourth, 1.002 WHIP ranks seventh, and 9.8 K/9 ranks 12th.
Phillies batting stats
- The Phillies rank 10th in Major League Baseball with 146 home runs.
- Hitters for Philadelphia rank seventh in the majors with a combined .420 team slugging percentage.
- The Phillies rank sixth in MLB with a .255 team batting average.
- Philadelphia has scored 581 runs this season, which ranks eighth in MLB.
- The Phillies are among the best in the league at getting on base, ranking sixth with an OBP of .326.
- Philadelphia ranks 15th with an average of 8.4 strikeouts per game.
Nationals stats and trends
Nationals betting records
- The Nationals have been underdogs in 100 games this season and have come away with the win 44 times (44%) in those contests.
- Washington has played as an underdog of +232 or more just one time this year and came away with a win in that game.
- The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Nationals have a 30.1% chance of walking away with the win.
- Washington and its opponents have gone over in 62 of its 121 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
- The Nationals have an against the spread record of 67-53-0 in 120 games with a line this season.
Mitchell Parker (Nationals probable starter)
- Parker (6-6 with a 3.83 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 112 2/3 innings pitched) makes the start for the Nationals, his 22nd of the season.
- The lefty’s last time out came on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels, when he went 6 1/3 innings, surrendering no earned runs while allowing eight hits.
- The 24-year-old has an ERA of 3.83, with 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 21 games this season. Opponents are batting .244 against him.
- Parker is trying to claim his third straight quality start in this matchup.
- Parker will try to last five or more innings for his fourth straight appearance. He’s averaging 5.3 frames per outing.
- He is looking to make his third straight appearance with no earned runs allowed.
- He will match up with a Phillies squad that is batting .255 as a unit (sixth in the MLB). They are also slugging a collective .420 (seventh in the league) with 146 total home runs (10th in MLB play).
Nationals batting stats
- The Nationals have hit the fewest home runs in MLB action this season (97).
- So far this season, Washington is 25th in baseball with a .375 slugging percentage.
- The Nationals have the 14th-ranked batting average in the league (.244).
- Washington scores the 18th-most runs in baseball (518 total, 4.3 per game).
- The Nationals’ .312 on-base percentage ranks 13th in baseball.
