Los Angeles Dodgers (36-27) at Philadelphia Phillies (30-32)
Game Info: Friday, June 9, 2023 at 7:05 p.m. EST (Citizens Bank Park)
Betting Odds: Phillies (-110) / Over/Under (9)
Pick: Phillies ML (-110)
Let's kick off the weekend by heading to Citizens Bank Park to take a look at an NL battle between two squads looking to make deep runs in the Playoffs, when the Los Angeles Dodgers open up a series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Los Angeles was able to salvage the third game of the series in Cincinnati by a dominating 6-0 score line. Looking at the NL West standings though, they still sit 1.5 games back of the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks, who are currently playing as well as any team in the National League. Over their last ten games, the Dodgers are only a mere 4-6, so they will have to come into Philadelphia with a better output if they are to improve on that record and give themselves a chance to climb up the standings to put pressure on the D-Backs. To start off the series against the Phils on Friday night, the Dodgers will have Michael Grove on the mound. In his five games pitched so far this campaign, he has looked abysmal, boasting a combined 8.14 ERA in 21 innings pitched. Can he settle it down against a Phillies squad who is starting to find their groove on their home field?
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The Phillies have been one of the most unpredictable teams in the MLB this season in the first 60 or so games. It does not seem to matter who is on their schedule, only one thing stays constant... an extended losing streak followed up by a long win streak. As of now, they are on a heater, having won their last five games against the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers. Even though they have only been able to amount four runs in the last two victories versus Detroit, their pitching staff has looked phenomenal. After both suffering rocky starts in the first few months of baseball, Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler got into the seventh inning in consecutive starts with no-hitters. This is certainly a bright sign for a Phillies squad that has had subpar starting pitching performances all year long. In Friday's game, Ranger Suarez will get the nod. His peripherals are not the best, as he comes in with a 5.47 ERA. Nonetheless, in his last start versus the Nationals, he was able to get back to his old self, pitching 7.0 innings and only allowing 1 earned run. Can he build on that solid outing against the Dodgers?
Betting trends to consider in this matchup:
- Philadelphia is 17-10 at home
- The Phillies are 17-12 when coming off of a win
- The over is 22-10-1 when the Dodgers play on the road
The early indications show that this should be a close game throughout, but I believe the Phillies have the far superior pitcher in this matchup. Suarez is much better than his 5+ ERA and I am going to jump on this number now before it changes at all before first pitch. Give me the Phils to get the bats going in Friday night's opening game against Grove, who has not looked major league ready at all in his first five appearances!
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