The only thing hotter right now than the Phillies is the Phillies Betting Preview. We cashed another seven units last night as the Phillies both won and scored more than 4.5 runs. Starting last Saturday with a 4-unit profit, we’re up 20 units in a week. I know that sounds crazy, but the links to all of my bets are on the site, you can fact-check for yourself.
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Phillies (-175) vs Athletics (+145) O/U 9
The Phillies (36-34) and the A’s (19-52) face off for the second game of the series. The first pitch is slated for 4:05 p.m. The forecast is calling for mostly sunny weather with a high in the mid-70s.
The Phillies, searching desperately for a fifth starter, are turning to LHP Cristopher Sanchez (0-0 6.23) for a second time this season. He made one start earlier in the year against Colorado and was roughed up a bit, giving up five hits, two walks, and three earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. He was anything but lights-out down in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, where he posted a 3-2 record with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in 49.2 innings.
The Phillies’ offense continues to shine, with seven hits and three homers on Friday night in their 6-1 series-opening victory over Oakland. Kyle Schwarber took the first pitch of the game over the right field fence for his 23rd lead-off home run of his career. J.T Realmuto added another solo shot, and the Alec Bohm had a 2-run homer in the fourth.
The A’s had been the “it” team a week ago while they were in their impressive 7-game winning streak, all as pretty heavy dogs. However, they have now started another streak, one that A’s fans are sadly more accustomed to, as they’ve lost their third consecutive game.
They send RHP James Kaprielian (2-6 6.89) to try and stop the bleeding. As you can see by the cursory stats, he’s not having the most memorable season. His WHIP of 1.711 is significantly higher than his career mark of 1.360. Never really a strikeout pitcher at 7.9 K/9, even that mark of 7.8 is a tad under. It’s almost like he’s throwing batting practice up there.
The A’s offense, which had shown signs of life during their magical run, is back to it’s rather dismal state. Hitting for .272 with eight home runs and an average of 5.9 runs per game during that stretch, in the last three games, their average has plummeted to below .190, and they are only averaging 2.3 runs per contest.
The Wager
I’m trying to figure out why the O/U with such sub-par pitchers starting is only set at 9. Perhaps the train of thought that they’ll get into the bullpens earlier, but that hasn’t been a source of comfort for either squad this season. I’m going to take the total of 9 runs OVER for three units. I would make it a little larger normally, but because I think that something is fishy, I’m curtailing the amount slightly.
Bets and Season Record
Pick:Â Phillies/A’s OVER 9 runs -110 for 3-UNITS
Season Record:
Up 26.5 units (+$2650)
Player Watch: Bryce Harper’s return from Tommy John surgery this quickly is nothing short of miraculous. So the fact that he only has three home runs and hasn’t hit one since May 25th isn’t really alarming. However, watching his swings the past couple of nights, it’s clear to see that he’s getting his timing back and is liable to erupt any game now. Something to keep in mind.
