The Arizona Diamondbacks face off against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third contest of their four-game series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, so here’s the best betting pick for this National League showdown set for Saturday, August 28, with the first pitch at 6:05 PM ET. 

The Diamondbacks have owned the Phillies over the last few years, winning 15 of their previous 19 encounters. Excluding the second game of this series, Arizona is 4-0 against Phila in 2021, but the D-backs are listed as underdogs for Saturday’s clash, according to BetDSI Sportsbook.

Arizona upset the Phillies in the opener for its second straight W   

The Arizona Diamondbacks improved to 44-85 on the season following an 8-7 victory at Citizens Bank Park this past Thursday. They nearly blew a six-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, as the D-backs bullpen continues to cause huge problems, though their defense is not helping a lot either.

Arizona’s relievers own the highest ERA in the majors (5.33). Over the last couple of weeks, they’ve registered a 4.26 ERA and 4.52 FIP. The D-backs have won nine of their previous 14 games mostly thanks to their offense, as Arizona’s bats have recorded a nice .279/.346/.467 triple-slash in that 14-game stretch.

Humberto Mejia will get the starting call Saturday, his second in the big leagues. The 24-year-old righty took a no-decision on his debut last Monday, allowing a couple of earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven through five innings of work in a 6-5 defeat at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Phillies seek revenge

The Philadelphia Phillies fell to 63-64 on the season following that disappointing defeat to the Diamondbacks last Thursday. It was a huge blow for the Phillies, who trailed the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves by five and a half games on Friday.

Philadelphia has won only four of its previous 12 contests overall, mostly due to a proper slump at the dish. The Phillies have scored just 43 runs in the process while compiling a miserable .195/.283/.356 batting line.

Kyle Gibson will take the mound Saturday against Arizona, and the 33-year-old righty is 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance since he joined the Phillies in July. Last Sunday, Gibson threw eight frames of a one-run ball in a 7-4 victory at the San Diego Padres. He’s 9-5 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 23 starts and one relief app this season (19 starts with Texas).

Trends:

Arizona:

  • 3-8 in the last 11 games on the road

Philadelphia:

  • N/A

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies Pick

The Phillies finally got things going offensively in the opening clash of this set, and I’m expecting a strong performance Saturday against the D-backs’ pitching staff. Humberto Mejia is still young and learning at this level. He’s 5-4 with a poor 5.93 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 12 starts in the triple-A this season.

Kyle Gibson will have to give his team a chance, of course, while the Phillies bullpen has a 4.17 ERA and 3.66 FIP in the last two weeks of action. If they want to stay alive n the playoff chase, the Phillies cannot afford a loss here.

Pick: Take Philadelphia Phillies at -207  

The Total:

The current Diamondbacks have a solid .273/.303/.466 slash line in 52 at-bats against Kyle Gibson, who met them once this year and gave up three earned runs on seven hits and a couple of walks through six frames.

Arizona has done a good job at the plate lately. If the D-backs continue to hit well, the Phillies will be under pressure to bring everything they have, and we’ll see a high-scoring affair. The over has hit in six of the last seven encounters between these two teams at Citizens Bank Park.

Pick: Go over 9.0 runs at +105