Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/18/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Venue:  Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Marlins +209, Phillies -259; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Marlins +200, Phillies -250; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Marlins +200, Phillies -250; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Miami Marlins:  64-61 (3rd place, NL East)

Philadelphia Phillies:  67-58 (2nd place, NL East)

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Miami Marlins:  6-4 last 10

Philadelphia Phillies:  6-4 last 10

The Marlins are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 64-61 record overall and have a road record of 26-36. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Phillies on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .729 OPS. Janson Junk is their starting pitcher on Monday while Tyler Phillips is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 3-6 with a 3.65 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 4 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 6 SO on 6 hits through 5.1 IP against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Phillies are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Minnesota Twins 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 67-58 record overall and have a home record of 32-30. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Marlins on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 20th in the MLB with a .711 OPS. Cristopher Sánchez is their starting pitcher on Monday while Zack Wheeler is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 10-4 with a 2.89 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts on 6 hits through 5 innings pitched against the St Louis Cardinals.

The current betting odds have the Phillies listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Phillies have looked good in their games this season with their 67-58 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL East. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 32-30 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Marlins have looked good in their games this season with their 64-61 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL East. They haven't been a good road team though with their 26-36 road record this year. The Marlins are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they just won their last series against the Reds, but their offense has been really up and down lately and they are having some issues with their pitching too. The Phillies are also 6-4 in their last 10 games, red hot after sweeping the Twins in their last series, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup in this one. The Phillies are going with Wheeler in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 10-4 with a 2.89 ERA and he has been one of their best starters all season. He has had some trouble lately, giving up 4 earned runs in his last start and his team losing 2 games in a row now with him starting, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year. He will be looking to bounce back with a better start and he is also going to get some help from the Phillies offense which has been putting up a ton of runs lately. The Marlins aren't going to have their best starter on the mound here and the bullpen has also been really up and down this season. Look for the Phillies to take advantage of this pitching matchup and stay hot offensively. The best way to place a bet here is on the Phillies to win this game. 

Marlins Phillies Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, August 18, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Phillies 5 Marlins 2.

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Miami Marlins: 64-61 (+5.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 51-43 (+10.4 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 29-28 (+6.5 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 35-26 UNDER vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse.

Philadelphia Phillies: 67-58 (-5.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 32-30 (-9 units) on the moneyline in home games. 40-40 (-7 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 30-21 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Miami Marlins:  K. Stowers (1B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. M. Meyer (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. W. Kempner (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. A. Bender (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shin. A. Nardi (RP) Sixty Day IL - Ribs. R. Snelling (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Mazur (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Henriquez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Philadelphia Phillies:  T. Turner (SS) Day To Day - Kneecap. C. Kilian (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. T. Banks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. R. Marchan (C) Ten Day IL - Knee. B. Keller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Rojas (CF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Garcia (RF) Sixty Day IL - Lat.

"Once you have De La Cruz on first base, you cannot stop thinking that he's going to try to get that second base. But I've been working hard on that quick delivery to home plate, and I'm happy that I'm giving my catchers a shot to get that guy at second. We were able to do it today, and I'm very happy." - Eury Perez after their win against the Reds in their game on Sunday. 

“For me, it is. Just keep going for the club. In that kind of game, when you're down four, it kind of puts you in a bind, right? But he's got to keep us in the game and give us chances to score, and then finally, we break through.” - Don Mattingly after his team’s win against the Twins in their game on Sunday. 

Otto Lopez (R) SS

Heriberto Hernández (R) LF

Agustín Ramírez (R) DH

Xavier Edwards (S) 2B

Javier Sanoja (R) 3B

Leo Jiménez (R) 1B

Esteury Ruiz (R) RF

Jakob Marsee (L) CF

Brian Navarreto (R) C

Kyle Schwarber (L) DH

Bryson Stott (L) 3B

Bryce Harper (L) RF

Luis Arraez (L) 2B

Alec Bohm (R) 1B

Brandon Marsh (L) LF

J.T. Realmuto (R) C

Justin Crawford (L) CF

Edmundo Sosa (R) SS

Batting Average:  Otto Lopez (.308)

Hits:  Otto Lopez (150)

Home Runs:  Heriberto Hernandez (18)

RBI:  Liam Hicks (62)

Stolen Bases:  Esteury Ruiz (29)

Wins:  Sandy Alcantara (13)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (18)

ERA:  Josh Ekness (1.64)

Batting Average:  Bryan De La Cruz (.333)

Hits:  Trea Turner (122)

Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber (37)

RBI:  Bryce Harper (72)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (23)

Wins:  Cristopher Sánchez (15)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (26)

ERA:  Bryse Wilson (0.00)

Managers:

Miami Marlins: Clayton McCullough (2nd season)

Philadelphia Phillies: Don Mattingly (Interim)