This matchup features two teams that are still alive in the Wild Card race in the National League as the Philadelphia Phillies travel to take on the San Diego Padres in game two of a three-game series. The teams have split the first two games of the series with the San Diego Padres winning game two of the series on Tuesday by a score of 8-0.

The Philadelphia Phillies aren’t going to win the NL East as the Phillies trail the Atlanta Braves by 14.5 games, however, the Phillies are in a six-team race in the National League for the three Wild Card spots and have a 4.5-game lead over the final Wild Card spot and would be the 1^st Wild Card team in the National League. Philadelphia is 2-3 in September and saw their two-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday when the Phillies lost on the road against the San Diego Padres in game two of the series by a score of 0-8.

San Diego still has an outside shot at making the playoffs as a Wild Card team in the National League, however, the Padres will need help as they trail the Cincinnati Reds by 6.5 games for the final Wild Card Spot in the National League. The Padres have gone 4-1 in September which includes Tuesday’s 8-0 win in game two of the series at home against the Philadelphia Phillies. Four of the eight runs for San Diego came in the 6^th inning which included Fernando Tatis scoring off a base hit from Xander Bogaerts.

BookMaker has the Philadelphia Phillies listed as -115 money line favorites on the road against the San Diego Padres in game three of the series on Wednesday. Philadelphia has won seven of the last ten and two of the last three games in the series while winning by an average margin of .1 runs per game over the last ten matchups.

San Diego has the advantage at pitcher on Wednesday as the Padres will send Michael Wacha to the mound while the Phillies will send Zack Wheeler to the mound for game three of the series. Washa is 11-2 this season with a 2.85 ERA while recording 96 strikeouts while Wheeler is 10-6 on the year with an ERA of 3.62 and has recorded 185 strikeouts.

Zack Wheeler is 1-0 with two no-decisions in his last three starts against San Diego while allowing a total of five runs and striking out 23 in those starts with the most recent start coming in July in which Wheeler allowed three runs and struck out seven batters in a no-decision.

Michael Wacha is 2-0 with a no-decision in his last three starts this season while allowing a total of seven runs and recording 18 strikeouts Wacha’s most recent start came at home against the San Francisco Giants with Michael Wacha allowing two runs and striking out six in a win. 

Philadelphia enters this game with a better record and has been the better team in the series, winning seven of the last ten and two of the last three games while winning by an average of .1 run per game over the last ten matchups. I look for that trend to continue on Wednesday in game three of the series which is why I will be taking the money line for the Philadelphia Phillies at -115 on BookMaker for game three of the series.