After claiming the victory in their first postseason appearance in 11 years, the Philadelphia Phillies return to action on Saturday night as they look to secure a date with the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series.
And while the Phillies Phaithful are surely looking ahead in hopes of purchasing NLDS tickets, there are still opportunities to make a quick bang for your buck before the Phillies (hopefully) clinch their way to Atlanta.
National League Wild Card Round | Game Two | Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals
Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA) vs. Miles Mikolas (12-13, 3.29 ERA) – Busch Stadium, Saturday, October 8th @8:37 PM
Phillies Starter: Aaron Nola
One could argue whether Aaron Nola should have gotten the start over Zack Wheeler in game one. And while I don’t have a horse in that particular race, that is a good issue to have in the postseason. Overall on the year, Nola has thrown a 3.25 ERA with a Major League-leading 8.10 strikeouts per walk. Not to mention that, for the third time in his career, Nola reached the 200 IP mark on the year.
While fans have argued for years that Nola has not been able to compete in September, the ace starting pitcher has proven otherwise this season. In six starts since the beginning of September, Nola has thrown 34.1 innings for a 2.36 ERA and a 1.95 FIP. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention his 45 strikeouts over the stretch as well.
Nola faced the Cardinals once this season, on Monday July 11th. It… wasn’t a start he wants to remember. Despite throwing seven innings and striking out seven batters, Nola allowed five earned runs on seven hits, taking the loss on the day. Who earned the win for the Cardinals that day? Well… let’s just say his name is in the next header.
Cardinals Starter: Miles Mikolas
Miles Mikolas (whom I just found out is nicknamed the “Lizard King”) has pitched a strong year for the Cardinals. Also sporting a strong ERA at 3.29 on the year, Mikolas’s numbers stand very close to Nola in several ways except that his strikeout rate and walk rates are significantly worse than Nola’s.
As mentioned, Mikolas did take the win for the Cardinals on their July 11th meeting against Nola. Overall, Mikolas has faced the Phillies twice on the season, throwing 12.2 innings and allow five runs (three earned runs).
The Phillies’ Starting Lineup
The Phillies are going with a similar look in Game Two as they had in Game One.
The only major change comes in center field as Brandon Marsh gets the start over Matt Vierling. Interim manager Rob Thomson is going with the left-handed bat in Marsh against the right-handed Mikolas. Marsh took over for Vierling on Friday afternoon, going 1-for-2 with an RBI-single to score Jean Segura in the top of the ninth. Segura and Bryson Stott move down to eighth and ninth respectively in the lineup while Marsh bats seventh behind Alec Bohm.
Bets to Be Had
Best Bets
With two aces on the mound, it would feel like the easy bet is the under for the game at 6.5 runs at -105 odds right? Cool. No need to read further!
Now, if you’re still reading, that probably means that you did not just skim the article for the bet and then left. So, thank you for reading our work.
Both Nola and Mikolas have shown some trouble against their opposing team’s hitters at one point or another this season. With the bats having warmed up later into the game on Friday afternoon, I fully expect the bats to continue to do so going into tomorrow night. It may become a bit messier of an affair than the boring first six innings of Friday’s contest, so I would bet accordingly.
FanDuel has the odds on the Cardinals scoring over 2.5 runs yet losing to the Phillies at +425. Put $20 down on that, and you will have enough to buy yourself a ticket to Game 3 of the NLDS (not including parking of course!).
Player Prop
Despite going 0-for-5 on Friday for the Phillies, Rhys Hoskins stands a strong bet for tonight’s contest. In six plate appearances against Mikolas this season, Hoskins has gone 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks, and a sacrifice fly.
If you want to play it safe with a player bet, Hoskins is -180 to record a hit. If you’re feeling bold, however, take his +430 odds to hit a home run instead.
Get your bets in, grab some popcorn, and grab your favorite beverage (or a few). Tonight is sure to be a ride as the Phillies look to return to the NLDS. Play ball!
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Scott Kane
