The Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies start their four-game series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 26, 2021, so here’s the best D-backs vs. Phillies betting pick for the opening clash along with the latest odds update on Bookmaker Sportsbook.

The Diamondbacks swept the Phillies in a three-game set at Chase Field last week. They are 14-4 in the previous 18 games against Philadelphia, but the D-backs will have a tall task to extend their dominance, as the Phillies have a huge motive to come out on top.

Arizona dropped four of its last five games  

Since they swept the Phillies last Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks visited Colorado and Pittsburgh and earned just one win in the process (their Wednesday’s clash at the Pirates has been excluded from the preview). The D-backs are still the worst team in the National League. They fell to 42-85 on the season following a 4-2 defeat at Pittsburgh this past Tuesday.

Over the last 15 days of action, the Diamondbacks have gone 7-6 with a decent 3.99 ERA. And I said decent because the D-backs have struggled mightily on the mound all season. They own the second-highest ERA in baseball (5.21), allowing 9.5 hits and 1.5 home runs per nine innings.

Zac Gallen will get the nod Thursday, and he’s 1-7 with a 4.59 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 16 starts (80.1 frames) this season. The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off his best game in 2021, as he threw seven scoreless innings at Coors Field this past Friday. However, Gallen has a disappointing 5.61 ERA over his previous six outings.

The Phillies desperately need to get back to winning ways

The Philadelphia Phillies are slowly but surely losing the pace in the NL East title race. They were 63-32 following Tuesday’s defeat to Tampa Bay, trailing four and a half games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies have dropped nine of their previous 13 games. During that stretch, they’ve compiled a 4.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a .228 batting average against. On the other side of the ball, the Phillies have been a complete disaster, posting the worst batting line in the majors by far (.187/.278/.329).

Zach Eflin will toe the rubber Thursday against Arizona, and the 27-year-old righty is 4-7 with a 4.17 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 18 starts (105.2 innings) this term. Eflin has a 3.32 ERA over his previous four starts, but last time out, he’s surrendered six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks across just 3.2 innings of work against the hapless Marlins’ offense.

Trends:

Arizona:

  • 1-4 in the last five games overall
  • 1-8 in the last nine games on the road
  • 1-12 in Zac Gallen’s last 12 starts 

Philadelphia:

  • N/A

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies Pick

This is probably the last chance for the Phillies, who cannot allow any more surprises in order to somehow sneak into the playoffs. Their offense has been horrible as of late, and the Phillies should get things going sooner rather than later, considering the number of strong weapons on their lineup.

I’ve mentioned the Diamondbacks’ recent improvement on the pitching side of things, but their bullpen has still registered a disappointing 5.36 ERA and 5.58 FIP over the last couple of weeks.

Diamondbacks vs. Phillies Pick : Phillies -150

   

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies Total Pick:

The Diamondbacks have the sixth-best OPS in the majors over the previous 15 days of action (.806). They also have just 12 dingers in the last 13 games overall, but the Diamondbacks have slugged a whopping 34 doubles in that span.

While I’m expecting the Phillies to finally hit the ball well in this favorable matchup, the Diamondbacks shouldn’t have any problems scoring a few runs. The Phillies bullpen has recorded a 5.36 ERA and 4.50 FIP in the last two weeks. 

Diamondbacks vs. Phillies Total : Over 9