Well, that hurt. Although the Philadelphia Phillies claimed the series victory this week against the Miami Marlins, Thursday’s ninth-inning collapse left a bad taste in the mouths of many Phillies fans.
But the Phillies cannot dwell on split milk with an important series against the Washington Nationals on tap starting on Friday. The Phillies own a shrinking lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild card race while the San Diego Padres stand but 0.5 games ahead of the Phils as well.
The Phillies are 10-2 against the Nationals this season. While a series sweep is never to be assumed against any opponent, the Phillies need to pull out all of the stops to come out with the sweep this weekend.
But that’s not why you clicked on this article, is it? Let’s dive into Friday’s matchup.
Phillies vs Nationals Pitching Matchup
Noah Syndergaard (8-9, 4.07 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (6-17, 6.28 ERA)
The almighty Thor Odinson (aka Noah Syndergaard) will toe the rubber in game one against the Nationals on Friday. It will be Syndergaard’s seventh start since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline. Over those starts, Syndergaard owns a 4.63 ERA, pitching for a 3-1 record while lasting just under six innings per start.
His last two starts have not been the greatest, combining to allow eight earned runs over 10 innings pitched in two team losses to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants.
Looking at the Nationals’ hitters, only two have had a decent sample size of action against Syndergaard on their career: Victor Robles and former-Phil Cesar Hernandez. Both own a batting average right around .400 on their career against Syndergaard while Robles has also hit three home runs off the Avenger.
Another familiar name faces off against Syndergaard for the Nationals on Friday: Patrick Corbin. The veteran starting pitcher is a far cry from his All-Star days in 2018. Corbin currently leads Major League Baseball with 17 losses and 94 earned runs allowed on the season, pitching for a 6.28 ERA overall.
The Phils have handed Corbin two such losses on the year, most recently on August 6th. They scored six runs against Corbin, knocking out the 33-year-old just two outs into the first inning. Rhys Hoskins and Matt Vierling each ripped home runs off of the starter. Bryson Stott put in the final two runs off Corbin on his first major league triple. The Phillies eventually won the contest 11-5.
Speaking of Hoskins, the first baseman has a perfect opportunity to make up for his defensive miscue on Thursday night. Owning a .333 average and three home runs over 30 lifetime at bats against Corbin, expect Hoskins to contribute to the evening’s festivities.
Bets to Be Had
With Syndergaard and Corbin going at it, the over/under is set at 9.0 runs, a margin I would totally expect the Phillies to reach. Sitting at +1.5 overall as the favorites, the Phillies’ team line is set to 5.5 runs on the night. Given their previous performance against Corbin, it would be a safe bet to take the over a +115 odds.
Now with only 25 games remaining and a slim 2.5-game lead over the Brewers for the third wild card position, every game is a difference-maker now for the Phillies. Every game can also be a difference-maker for you as well with this FREE $1,000 bet from BetMGM.
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
