The Washington Nationals (55-68) and Philadelphia Phillies (72-50) square off in Game 3 of their four-game series on Saturday, August 17, at 6:05 PM ET at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies are moderately favored to win with a moneyline at -205.
In this series, the Nationals have lost their last three games and the last two against the Phillies. They are currently fourth in the National League East and are 17.5 games behind the leading Phillies. While they might not be able to catch them, they can still cause issues with their lead over other teams in the division.
They have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games, so it's not the best momentum coming into this series. On top of that, they are 27-36 on the road.
Their starting pitcher will be MacKenzie Gore (7-10), who approaches this matchup with an ERA of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.57. Their team ERA is 4.38, so it will remain roughly the same throughout the entire game.
The Nationals are posting a .244 batting average and are allowing their opponents to average even better at .261. This cannot happen against better offensive teams like the Phillies.
The Phillies are on top of the NL East, and the next closest team is within eight games, so they have a comfortable lead. For now, they need to continue pushing their dominance over the Nationals.
They are coming off a 3-2 victory in Game 2, which was much closer on paper than their previous 13-3 blowout win in Game 1. Despite their two strong wins recently, they have gone 6-4 over their last 10 games.
They will have Cristopher Sanchez (8-8) on the mound to begin the game. He currently has an ERA of 3.63 and a WHIP of 1.32. With their team ERA at 3.73, they should be able to hold the Nationals to low-scoring opportunities.
The Phillies are getting .257 at the plate and are allowing .237 from their opponents. This is a solid ratio between the two, but it could be better.
MyBookie has the MLB betting odds ready for the Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies matchup, with the odds favoring the Phillies. For bettors wanting to get the most out of their buck, consider checking out the run line, where the Phillies are at -1.5 (-105).
The Phillies have won twice in this series already and are 7-1 against them this season. The average score in this series is a bit of an outlier, with the Phillies at 8.0 runs and the Nationals at 2.5 runs a game. Consider taking the run line with the Phillies.
