Ranger Suárez will get the start for the Phillies (61-51, 30-21 home) as they host the Nationals (49-63, 27-29 away) at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals will give the starting nod to Trevor Williams. Check out my prediction for game one of this NL East matchup between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS VS PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Nationals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Citizens Bank Park at 6:40 ET on Monday, August 7th.

WHY BET THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS:

  • As the road underdog, the Nationals’ runline win streak stands at three games.
  • The Nationals have covered the runline in each of their four most recent games as the underdog.
  • Opponents are hitting a healthy .337 against Ranger Suárez in his last five starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

The Nationals will be looking for their 5th straight win in today’s game and have an overall record of 49-63. At home, Washington has put together a record of 22-34 while going 27-29 on the road. Currently, they are in 5th place in the NL East.

Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams has a 5-6 record and an ERA of 4.72 thus far in the 2023 season. His ERA is higher on the road (5.20) than at home (4.46). Williams’ WHIP stands at 1.49, with opposing teams batting .286 against him and slugging .503.

Trevor Williams’ most recent outing saw him take the hill for four innings, as the Nationals were defeated by the Mets 5-2. The right-hander allowed seven hits, resulting in five earned runs.

This season, the Nationals are 17th in the league at 4.3 runs per game. Over their last five games, they have a combined batting average of .237 (16th) leading to 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are generating 2.6 walks per game compared to 7 strikeouts. Washington’s on-base percentage of .319 has them 14th in the MLB.

Over the past five games, Lane Thomas has been the Nationals’ top hitter, batting .400. On the season, he is hitting .290 with 65 runs batted in.

WILL THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Philadelphia’s record of 61-51 has them sitting 2nd in the NL East. At home, the Phillies have won two straight series. Their overall home record is 30-21. Against the runline, the Phillies are 47-65 along with an over/under record of 48-57.

Today marks Ranger Suárez’s 16th outing of the 2023 season, and he holds a 2-5 record. His ERA is 4.01, and opponents have a .328 OBP against him. He has fanned 76 batters and his WHIP is 1.43. On the road, his ERA is 3.17 compared to 6.99 at home.

Despite not earning the decision, Ranger Suárez had a solid outing in the Phillies’ 3-1 victory over the Marlins. The right-hander allowed just one run on 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings of work, finishing with a quality start.

Offensively, Philadelphia is ranked 14th in the league with an average of 4.6 runs per game. When looking over their last ten matchups, the Phillies averaged 5.2 runs per contest, which is 7th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Philadelphia is 16th in all of baseball, with a total of 123 home runs.

The Phillies’ Bryson Stott leads the team in hits with a .302 batting average. His slugging percentage stands at .440, and his on-base percentage is .343.