Already leading the series 1-0, the Phillies (68-57, 35-24 home) are sending Taijuan Walker to the mound to take on the Giants (65-60, 30-32 away) and Drew Smyly. See who I like to come out on top in this National League matchup between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia.

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 Tuesday, August 22nd.

WHY BET THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS:

  • Against the runline, the Phillies have gone just 1-2 in their last three home games.
  • Over their last five games as the favorite, the Phillies are just 2-3 against the runline.
  • Taijuan Walker has given up three away runs across his last two starts.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN NL WEST

Heading into the game, the Giants are 2nd in the NL West on an overall record of 65-60. The team’s season-long road record is 30-32, which includes losing each of their past five road series. Against the runline, the Giants are 60-65 and have an over/under mark of 53-69. Their runline record on the road is 30-32 this year.

The San Francisco Giants will be entrusting Kyle Harrison with the starting role for his inaugural outing. Over the past five games, the Giants’ pitching corps has ranked tenth in terms of runs allowed, yielding an average of 5.0 per contest.

During their last five games, San Francisco is the 13th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .241 and are averaging 2.8 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Giants are hitting .238 with an OBP of .314 while averaging 4.3 runs per contest. This figure puts them 20th in the league.

Michael Conforto has been a key contributor for the Giants in 2023, boasting a .250 batting average and driving in 55 runs. He has also hit 15 home runs on the season.

WILL THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Phillies enter today’s game with an overall record of 68-57, including putting together an above .500 mark at home (35-24). This year, Philadelphia has played in 40 series and have gone 21-16-3. Currently, they are 2nd in the NL East.

Taijuan Walker is having a successful season, boasting a 13-5 record in 24 outings. His ERA stands at 4.03 and his WHIP is 1.28, with an opposing batters’ OBP of .306. However, he has given up a home run in each of his last three appearances. His strikeout to walk ratio is 106/55.

Taijuan Walker was dealt the loss in the Phillies’ 8-1 defeat to the Twins after surrendering three runs on three hits over five innings of work.

Having gone deep 12 times in their last five games, the Phillies are 1st in that span. At 4.7 runs per game, Philadelphia is 11th in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .258 while hitting a total of 152 home runs (11th).

Over the last five games, Alec Bohm has been a standout for the Phillies, leading the team in hits and batting .321. This season, Bohm is hitting .285 with 77 RBIs.