The Philadelphia Phillies have had a disappointing start to their 2023 campaign but will be hoping to get back on track against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Phillies vs Blue Jays Info
Date: Sunday, May 9th
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Location: Citizen’s Bank Park, Philadelphia
TV channel: MLB TV, NBCS
Phillies vs Blue Jays Betting odds
Money line: Toronto Blue Jays (+115) | Philadelphia Phillies (-135)
Run Line: Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-170) | Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+145)
Run total: Over/Under 9 (-110)
Pitching matchup
Aaron Nola (2-2, 4.64 ERA) vs Alek Manoah (1-2, 4.71 ERA)
This is a really intriguing pitching matchup. On the one hand, you have an Aaron Nola who can either turn in a Cy Young masterclass or a Baley Falter disaster class this season. Against Los Angeles, he gave up 4 runs over 6 innings, although it should be mentioned that he did have his team in a winning position when he left the mound.
On the other end of things, Alek Manoah looks to establish himself among the better arms in the league. He gave up 5 runs on 8 hits last time out in one of his weaker efforts. He only struck out 3 and a similar performance at CBP will hardly yield promising results. He’s given up 5+ runs in a start on 3 occasions this season and if Nola can rebound like he did against the Astros, this pitching matchup should be fairly one-sided.
Phillies vs Blue Jays Betting preview
The narrative going into this series is based on the star of each respective team. Bryce Harper is back in action and hitting .368 through five games, while Vladmir Guerrero Jr. has missed the last two contests with a wrist injury. He may well return tonight, but he could be less than 100%.
The Phillies are giving up a 5.03 ERA which ranks near the bottom of the entire league, while the Jays’ offense ranks 9th. This could be a potential mismatch, especially once Aaron Nola is out of the frame.
Toronto is giving up 9.17 hits in road games this season, which is the 5th-worst mark in the MLB. If the Phils offense can get rolling against an inexperienced arm who has surrendered 5+ hits per game on 3 occasions this season, then things could get messy for the Jays.
Phillies vs Blue Jays Betting picks
As much as I love Aaron Nola and am bullish on a return to form, you can’t help but feel that the bullpen is still vulnerable. Factor in Manoah’s record of being tagged for 5+ runs and it’s easy to see this total sailing towards 12. I’ll happily bet the over here, although I do like the Phillies to win outright as well.
As far as prop bets, betting on Manoah to record under 5.5 strikeouts (-145) against this lineup feels like a fairly safe option.
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AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
