Free MLB Picks Today: Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies 9/30/22 (Game 1)

Free MLB Picks Today: Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies 9/30/22 (Game 1)
Fri 30th September 2022

The Philadelphia Phillies (83-72) are on the road to face the Washington Nationals (54-101) at Nationals Park on Friday in a doubleheader. The Phillies are in the midst of a nine-game road trip. They were just swept in three games against the Cubs, dropping the finale 2-0 on Thursday at Wrigley Field for their fifth straight loss. Bryce Harper was 3 for 4. Nick Castellanos went 1 for 1. The Nationals are in the midst of a six-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Braves in their last series, taking the finale 3-2 on Wednesday at Nationals Park. CJ Abrams went 3 for 5 with one run and one RBI. The Phillies took Sunday’s series opener 7-5, their fifth straight victory overall and eighth in a row head-to-head, including 13 of 15 games against the Nationals this season. Jose Alvarado threw one scoreless inning out of the bullpen to get the win, and David Robertson struck out the side in the ninth for his 19th save. Harper was 3 for 4. Castellanos went 1 for 1. Abrams went 3 for 5 with one run and one RBI.

ON THE MOUND

Bailey Falter (5-4, 4.21 ERA) is slated for the start for Philadelphia in the first game of the doubleheader. The lefty allowed six runs over 3.2 innings in his last start, a 6-3 road defeat against the Braves on Saturday. He was charged with the loss, giving up 10 hits while striking out six. Over two previous starts against the Nationals this season, Falter has allowed five earned runs over nine innings (0-0, 5.00). He has struck out 10 and walked two.

AT THE PLATE

Over the last five games, Philadelphia has averaged only 2.6 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.6, while performing worse across the board (.208/.277/.298). Washington is averaging only 2.4 runs per game in the last five, down from 3.8 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.202/.240/.294). The Nats have a .679 OPS against southpaws in 2022. With a .759 OPS over 122 at-bats, Victor Robles has been their best hitter against left-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Philadelphia is on a seven-game losing streak away from Citizens Bank Park, bringing their record to 36-38 in 2022. The Phils have scored 4.3 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.3 runs. Washington has gone 25-52 at Nationals Park this season, averaging 3.6 runs per game while surrendering 5.3. In the last 10 games at Nationals Park between the NL East rivals, Philadelphia is 9-1 with an average scoreline of 7.0-4.8.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Phillies are third in the NL East, 14 games behind the division-leading Mets. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting third with a magic number of zero. The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 43 games behind the Mets.

SportsTips’ MLB Pick:

Philadelphia Phillies (-175)

Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with betmgm image today!

If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!

*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

SportsTips covers all the latest betting, odds, picks & predictions news when it comes to major American sports like NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL. If you want to stay up to date with the latest information, SportsTips has you covered!