Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

Two of the best teams in baseball will take to the field in Philadelphia, when the Houston Astros take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Houston have clawed their way back into first place in the American League West, while the Phillies sit comfortably at the top of the National League East.

Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies betting picks and predictions

Phillies ML (-170)

The Phillies open the series as heavy favorites and it shouldn’t come at a surprise given Zack Wheeler, who has been a serious contender for the Cy Young award since Opening Day, is on the mound.

Wheeler has a 1.73 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in four starts this month and has limited hitters to a .191 batting average with a .188 xBA. He hasn’t had an easy schedule either since his last four opponents have been the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Nationals, and Braves, with just one of those matches taking place at home.

The 34-year-old pitcher has been in sublime form on home soil and, in 13 starts at Citizens Bank Park, he has a 2.40 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP while limiting hitters to .184 batting average and a .558 OPS.

Houston’s Ronel Blanco etched his name in the record books when he threw a no-hitter in his season debut against the Blue Jays. Since that historic start, he has been a reliable arm in the rotation.

He comes into this start with a 3.14 ERA paired with a 4.00 xERA, meaning Blanco has been pretty lucky considering his high walk rate and BABIP.

However, the 30-year-old has been slowly regressing towards his xERA since the break. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 5.34 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in six outings in the second half of the season. He’s allowing a .280 xBA and 42 percent hard-hit rate in that span, which are both far higher than his season-long numbers.

The Phillies lineup is riding high after scoring 26 runs in their three-game series against the Royals, and they can win the series opener here.

Under 8 (-110)

The hitting conditions are expected to be subpar on Monday night in Philadelphia, with a chance of rain before the game and 5-10 mph winds blowing in from center field throughout the contest.

Those conditions should favor the pitchers and that’s just one of the reasons for taking the under in this game, the next being Wheeler’s dominance at home.

The right-hander has allowed two earned runs or less in 11 of his 13 starts at home and confidence is high that he can limit Houston, who don’t have good numbers against him.

If Wheeler can avoid letting Yordan Alvarez beat him, he should be able to get through the rest of the lineup without too much of a problem before the Philadelphia bullpen takes over.

The Houston bullpen comes into this series well rested, which means we could see Caleb Ferguson, Bryan King, Hector Neris, and Josh Hader.

Only two Houston relievers have thrown more than 20 pitches in the last three days. That means if Blanco is chased from the game early, the Astros bullpen should be able to pick up the slack and keep the game low scoring.

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Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies odds

Houston Astros	+145 ML
Philadelphia Phillies	-170 ML
Run Line	PHI -1.5 (+125)
Total	O/U 8

Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies player props

Player Home Run Odds

Jose Altuve	+630
Alex Bregman	+600
Yainer Diaz	+680
Kyle Schwarber	+260
Bryce Harper	+340
Trea Turner	+470

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.