The Phillies will return to Citizen’s Bank Park this evening to host the Miluakee Brewers in the first of three games. The Phils went 2-5 on their road trip and have fallen to a 5-8 record, while the 8-5 Brewers have won their last four games in a row.
Pitching matchup
Ranger Suarez (1-0, 5.87 ERA) vs Freddy Peralta (0-1, 11.57 ERA)
Ranger Suarez heads to the mound tonight looking to build on a solid second outing of the season. He pitched 2.2 innings in the season opener but ended up throwing 78 (and 49 strikes) against the Marlins. That game was an encouraging one for Suarez, who is still building up arm strength and endurance following a shortened spring. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the Brewers, who rank 24th in batting average. This should give him a slightly easier night at the plate.
Freddy Peralta will be handling Brewers’ side of things this evening as he looks to try and take a step forward after a wobbly opening to 2022. He’s allowed 9 runs on 10 hits through 12 innings so far, holding a whopping 11.57 ERA. He’s as streaky as they come, but so is this Phillies offense. It’s another opportunity for the batting order to take an early read, but they’ve been unable to take advantage of the numerous ones gifted to them so far.
Betting preview
The Phillies are slight favorites coming into this matchup (-125) and the run total has come down from the previous series and sits at 8. This is probably in part due to the Phillies’ lackluster offense and also the fact that the Pirates were only able to put up 5 runs in 3 games against the Brewers.
The Brewers are hot coming into this matchup and these pitchers aren’t exactly appealing. Take advantage of the lower run total here and expect the Phils to come out swinging early.
Prediction: Total runs: Over 8 (-105)
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
