The Giants (65-59, 30-31 away) travel to take on the Phillies (67-57, 34-24 home) in game one of this National League matchup. Scott Alexander is getting the start for the Giants while Aaron Nola is starting for the Phillies. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies showdown at Citizens Bank Park.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS VS PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES BETTING PICK

The Pick: San Francisco Giants +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Citizens Bank Park at 6:40 ET on Monday, August 21st.

WHY BET THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS:

  • Over their last five games as the favorite, the Phillies are just 2-3 against the runline.
  • The Phillies have dropped two straight games vs. the runline at home.
  • Aaron Nola has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 5.81 over his last three starts.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN NL WEST

For the season, the Giants have put together a record of 65-59 and are 2nd in the NL West, putting them 11.5 games out of first place. San Francisco’s overall series record sits at 18-20-2. On the road, they have gone 30-31 and 35-28 at home.

San Francisco’s Scott Alexander has put together a 6-2 record this season, along with an ERA of 4.06. When pitching away from home, his ERA is 5.76, while it drops to 5.66 when he takes the mound at home. Alexander’s WHIP for the year is 1.22 and batters have managed a .238 average against him, with a slugging percentage of .311.

Scott Alexander had a difficult time in his most recent performance, yielding no runs in a mere one-third of an inning. Unfortunately, the Giants fell to the Braves 4-0 and Alexander was not involved in the decision.

As a team, San Francisco has scuffled at the plate of late, with a combined batting average of just .215 over their last ten games. Compared to other teams, this is just 27th in that span. When looking at the team’s power numbers, they have a season-long slugging percentage of .387% while going deep a total of 136 times (17th). Overall, the Giants are 22nd in the MLB at 4.3 runs per contest.

Michael Conforto has been a major contributor to the Giants’ offense in 2023. He currently holds a .249 batting average, with 55 runs batted in and 15 home runs.

WILL THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

On a record of 67-57, the Phillies are 2nd in the NL East. At home, they have put together a win percent of 58.6% compared to 50.0% on the road. This season, Philadelphia has gone 37-36 against teams who are above .500, and hold an overall series record of 21-16-3.

Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola has posted a 10-8 record with a 4.58 ERA this season. When pitching at Citizens Bank Park, Nola has been especially effective, boasting a 3.70 ERA compared to his 5.72 mark on the road. Additionally, Nola’s WHIP stands at 1.15 while opponents have managed to compile a .418 slugging percentage against him with an average of .231.

Aaron Nola’s most recent start saw him surrender four runs on four hits to the Toronto Blue Jays, yet the Philadelphia Phillies still emerged victorious with a 9-4 scoreline. The right-hander was credited with the win despite his shaky performance.

Offensively, Philadelphia is ranked 12th in the league with an average of 4.7 runs per game. When looking over their last five matchups, the Phillies averaged 6.2 runs per contest, which is 5th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Philadelphia is 12th in all of baseball, with a total of 148 home runs.

Nick Castellanos has been the Phillies’ leader in hits this season, boasting a .277 batting average. His slugging percentage stands at .472 and his on-base percentage is .314 entering play.