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• Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• Friday, August 18 at 7PM ET
• Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
Quietly, the Philadelphia Phillies are posting a strong season out of the NL East. Normally, we’d be hearing more out of them at this point in the season, but a ton of attention has been going to the Atlanta Braves. Despite that, don’t forget for a second that Philly won the NL pennant last year and they’re a team that no one is going to want to face in the postseason. With that said, the Phillies are favored to take down the Nationals on Friday night in their series opener.
The Phillies have been looking strong of late and that’s been exciting to see. What makes this team so dangerous is that they have a strong rotation, but they also have a fantastic lineup. Guys like Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are the headliners, but there’s also a ton of power elsewhere too. Luckily for the Phillies, this team is pretty darn healthy right now, which is going to help them moving forward.
| Phillies vs. Nats odds |  |  |  |  |
| Phillies to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Nats to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
The Nationals are in a much different spot, as they’re under .500. Washington supporters were hoping that this team would be able to turn the corner in 2023, but they’re still not playing at a high level. They’ll have a great chance to try and send a statement to their division rivals, but that’s going to be a tough task. This game will be played at Nationals Park, but Friday will still be a tough battle for the home team.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Phillies hold -115 MLB betting odds to take down the Nationals. On the other side of things, Washington has been set at +125. Whenever these two teams meet, it’s going to be an interesting battle. However, we have a feeling the visitors will be the ones to celebrate after the final pitcher. We’re going with the Phillies as our pick.
Not today, buddy pic.twitter.com/Z3X7B2oKWm
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 13, 2023
The over should hit between the Phillies and Nationals
When taking a look at things on offense as a whole, the over should hit between the Phillies and Nationals in this one. Both lineups are impressive, but there’s really no doubt in our minds that Philadelphia is going to put a lot of runs on the board. The starting pitchers for this showdown are yet to be determined, but for Washington, its starters have struggled throughout the year and it’s been rough to follow.
Things aren’t going to be simple for them when they’ve got to take on a team as good as the Phillies. Harper, Schwarber, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, Treat Turner and JT Realmuto are a lot of fun to watch. With Turner, it has been a bit of a rough season and he had a terrible series not long ago that had people blasting him left and right. However, the Philly supporters gave him a standing ovation before an at-bat and you know he appreciated it.
Feeling all the emotions after this one 🥹 pic.twitter.com/dRsVMRJx6Y
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 5, 2023
“That was pretty (bleepin’) cool,” Turner said of the ovations he received from the crowd after his tough stretch. “Fans have my back, and they’re showing up for me and that’s pretty cool to see. I thought that was awesome. I want to perform and help the team win. I appreciate it for sure.”
We think that Turner could have himself a strong series against Washington. According to the oddsmakers, the over/under for Friday’s game has been set at 6.5 runs. Again, we don’t know who the starters will be, but something tells us that both Philly and Washington will be ready to impress for the opener. With all of that said, we think at least seven runs will be scored. We’re going with the over.
The Phillies are in a great spot to make the playoffs
At this point in the season, the Phillies are in a great spot to make the playoffs. Philly holds the top NL Wild Card spot and they’re only going to improve their record, we think, with a series against Washington. The Nationals have been known for their struggles this year and people don’t have high expectations for them the rest of the way.
If Philly continues to play hot, then they’re going to have their fans pumped up for the postseason to get here. Philadelphia won’t catch up to the Braves in the NL East standings, but that shouldn’t take away from the strong year they are recording. Last season, the Phillies didn’t have strong World Series betting odds, but that didn’t stop them from reaching the Fall Classic. So, can they do it again?
First, the Phillies will need to lock things up first. Right now, the Phillies hold -200 odds to grab a Wild Card spot and then put themselves in a position to post some upsets in the postseason. This is a team that you’re never going to want to write off. The Phillies have all the tools to make this a season to remember. We’ll find out soon enough how things will shape out for them.
