The Philadelphia Phillies (25-32) are on the road to face the Washington Nationals (25-32) at Nationals Park on Saturday. The Nationals took Friday’s series opener 8-7. Kyle Finnegan got the win with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.
Luis Garcia went 2 for 5 with a home run and two runs in the win. Jeimer Candelario added two doubles, two runs, and three RBIs. Nick Castellanos was 4 for 5 with two home runs and a double for the Phillies. He drove in five runs. Brandon Marsh added one run and one RBI on two hits.
ON THE MOUND
Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.13 ERA) is set for the start for Philadelphia. The left-hander allowed one run in two innings of relief in his last appearance, a 4-2 road defeat against the Mets on Thursday. He yielded two hits while striking out one and walking one.
Southpaw MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57 ERA) takes the mound for Washington. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Phillies. Gore made two appearances against the Phillies in 2022, including one start, striking out eight and walking four over eight innings (0-0, 0.00).
In his last start on Sunday, Gore took a no-decision on the road against the Royals. He threw seven innings and gave up one run on three hits, striking out 11 and walking one in the 3-2 loss.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Philadelphia has averaged only 2.8 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.2, while slashing worse across the board (.215/.260/.350). Against lefties like Gore this season, the Phils have a .703 OPS.
Castellanos is the team’s strongest hitter against left-handers with a .866 OPS in 63 at-bats. Washington is averaging 4.8 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 4.4 for the season.
The Nats have a .794 OPS against left-handers in 2023, fourth highest in MLB. With a 1.054 OPS over 66 at-bats, Lane Thomas has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Philadelphia is on a five-game losing streak on the road, bringing their record to 11-22 in 2023. The Phils have scored 3.8 runs per game away from home, while allowing 5.7 runs.
Washington has gone 12-17 at their home park this season, averaging 3.8 runs per game while surrendering 5.1. In the last 10 games at Nationals Park between the NL East rivals, Philadelphia is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 6.0-4.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Phillies are fourth in the NL East, eight games behind the division-leading Braves. The Nationals are fourth in the NL East, eight games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Philadelphia Phillies (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
