The Diamondbacks (84-78, 41-40 away) travel to take on the Phillies (90-72, 49-32 home) in game one of this National League matchup. Merrill Kelly is getting the start for the Diamondbacks while Aaron Nola is starting for the Phillies. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies showdown at Citizens Bank Park.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks +159

This game will be played at Citizens Bank Park at 5:07 ET on Monday, October 23rd.

WHY BET THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS:

  • In their last ten games, the Diamondbacks have a record of 7-3.
  • Over their last five games on the road, Arizona has a straight-up record of 3-2.
  • Over his last four starts, Merrill Kelly has an ERA of just 2.81.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

This season, the Diamondbacks are 84-78, putting them 2nd in the NL West. On the road this season, Arizona has been above .500 team at 41-40. Overall, they have gone 31-21-3 in their 55 series.

Merrill Kelly is taking the mound for his 33rd start of the season, boasting a 12-8 record. He has been impressive thus far, with an ERA of 3.29 and a batting average allowed of .214. On the road, he is 8-4 with an ERA of 4.13, while at home he is 5-5 on an ERA of 2.77. Opponents have managed a slugging percentage of .358 against him this season.

After suffering a defeat at the hands of the Phillies, Merrill Kelly was charged with four runs on three hits across 5 2/3 innings in his latest outing.

As a team, Arizona has scuffled at the plate of late, with a combined batting average of just .208 over their last ten games. Compared to other teams, this is just 25th in that span. When looking at the team’s power numbers, they have a season-long slugging percentage of .408% while going deep a total of 166 times (20th). Overall, the Diamondbacks are 14th in the MLB at 4.6 runs per contest.

Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks is leading the team in home runs this season, with 33. He has also driven in 103 runs and boasts a slugging percentage of .497.

WILL THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

On a record of 90-72, the Phillies come into today’s game 2nd in the NL East. When playing at home, they are 49-32 and 41-40 on the road. Philadelphia has played in 54 series thus far, and have gone 31-19-4.

Aaron Nola is taking the mound for the Phillies today, boasting a 12-9 record. He has made 35 appearances this season, with an ERA of 4.46 and a K/9 of 9.39. His FIP is 4.03 and his OBP is .276.

The Phillies earned a victory in Aaron Nola’s last start, blanking the Diamondbacks 10-0. Nola went six innings, giving up three hits and no earned runs to improve his record to a win.

Offensively, Philadelphia is ranked 8th in the league with an average of 4.9 runs per game. When looking over their last five matchups, the Phillies averaged 5 runs per contest, which is 6th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Philadelphia is 7th in all of baseball, with a total of 220 home runs.

Over the Phillies’ past five contests, Kyle Schwarber has been their most prolific power hitter, clubbing two home runs. On the season, Schwarber has smashed 47 long balls and is hitting at a .197 clip.