The Philadelphia Phillies were 0-9 in their previous nine road games against the Washington Nationals before winning each of the first two games of their three-game road series against the Nationals. The Phillies will try for the series sweep over Washington on Thursday night.
- Date/Time: August 27, 6:37 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Nationals Park
- TV Coverage: FOX
- Sportsbook Odds: Nationals -195 | O/U 9 (Line History)
- Phillies vs Nationals Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Washington opened as a -195 home favorite with staff ace Max Scherzer on the mound. The Nationals have been bet down slightly to -185 while the Phillies are now going off as +175 underdogs. Philadelphia was favored in the first two games of this series. The total has remained steady at 9 runs.
Starting Pitchers Analysis
Spencer Howard’s season is off to a rough start as the rookie has compiled a 6.17 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP through his first three career starts. Howard is averaging less than four innings per start and has allowed four home runs in just 11.2 innings this season.
Max Scherzer has not been his usual dominant self this month. In four August starts, Scherzer has a 5.30 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Despite his poor performances of late, the Nationals have still picked up wins in each of his last three starts. The veteran is 11-3 with a 2.62 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 20 career starts against the Phillies.
Philadelphia News & Notes
Philadelphia has been a streaky squad all season. Since August 11, the Phillies have lost three straight, won four straight, lost five straight and now won three straight. All told, Philadelphia is 12-14 on the season with a run differential of -4.
The most disappointing thing for the Phillies is that they have stayed fairly injury-free but have still failed to live up to their potential. Philadelphia was hoping to be a World Series contender with Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen and Didi Gregorius all brought in over the last two seasons. But with below-average pitching and only a slightly above-average offense, the results haven’t been there for the Phillies.
Washington News & Notes
The Nationals rank 21st in the league in both runs scored with 131 (4.68 runs per game) and team ERA with a 4.97 mark. This has amounted to a disappointing 11-17 record through Washington’s first 28 games.
It is worth noting that last year’s World Series-winning squad started the year off 19-31 before turning things around to finish the regular season on a 74-38 run. But can this team do the same with Anthony Rendon gone and Stephen Strasburg out for the season with a hand injury?
Washington has lost each of its last three games. Before losing their last two to Philadelphia, the Nationals were 10-1 in their previous 11 against the Phillies.
Betting Pick: Washington -195
The Nationals play with a different confidence when Max Scherzer is on the mound, and Scherzer tends to elevate his game when his team needs a win. The price is steep, but the talent gap between Scherzer and Spencer Howard is too big to ignore.
- Philadelphia is 3-4 as a betting underdog.
- Washington is 4-12 at home this season.
- The OVER is 11-3 in Washington’s last 14 games.
