It’s Monday, August 26, and the Houston Astros (70-60) and Philadelphia Phillies (76-54) open a series featuring 1st place clubs at Citizens Bank Park in the City of Brotherly Love.
Yesterday, the Astros doubled up the Orioles by the score of 6-3 at Camden Yards. Yusei Kikuchi won his 3rd game as a member of the Astros and Alex Bregman went yard for the 21st time this season.
The Phillies’ offense was strong again in Kansas City in an 11-3 win over the Royals. Kyle Schwarber picked up a couple of hits and drove in 3 as Philadelphia plated 11 including 6 against fringe Cy Young candidate Seth Lugo.
Houston continues to lead the AL West by 4½ games as Seattle also won their game Sunday. Philadelphia’s lead is back up to 6 as the Braves fell to the Nationals yesterday afternoon.
Game Info
● Date: Monday, August 26, 2024 ● Time: 6:40PM EST ● Site: Citizens Bank Park ● City: Philadelphia, PA ● TV/Streaming: SCHN, NBCSP, FS1
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Betting Odds
The latest odds as of Monday morning:
● Money Line: Astros +140, Phillies -165 ● Spread: Astros +1.5 (-160), Phillies -1.5 (+135) ● Over/Under: 8 runs
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Team Stats
● The Astros are 5-5 in their last 10. Houston is 35-31 on the road this season. Their overall run differential for the season is +73.
● Philadelphia has won 2 in a row. The Phillies are 6-4 in their last 10. Philadelphia is 42-23 at Citizens Bank Park this season. Their overall run differential for the season is +114.
Pitching Matchup
● Today’s pitching matchup (August 26): Ronel Blanco vs. Zack Wheeler
○ Astros: Blanco (9-6, 3.14 ERA) has allowed 48 earned runs and 91 hits while striking out 136 over 137.2 innings ○ Phillies: Wheeler (12-6, 2.73 ERA) has allowed 47 earned runs and 109 hits while striking out 170 over 154.2 innings
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Player Notes
● Zack Wheeler is 8-3 at home this season with a 2.40 ERA in 82.1 innings.
● Ronel Blanco was shelled in his last outing giving up 5 earned runs in just 3.2 innings. Blanco’s 137 innings are 4 times more than any previous season with Houston. Could he simply be tiring?
● Yordan Alvarez is 2-2 in his career against Wheeler
● Who’s Hot? Rookie Zach Dezenzo has hits in 3 straight games going 4-7 (.571) in that stretch. Bryce Harper has hits in 4 straight going 5-17 (.294)
● Who’s Not! Jose Altuve is 3 for his last 16 (.188)
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Predictions and Best Bets
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Astros vs. Phillies game:
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Moneyline: NBC Sports is leaning heavily towards a play on the Astros on the Moneyline
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Spread: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Astros on the Run Line
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Total runs: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Total OVER 8 runs
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar!
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