Game Time: 10:05 AM ET, Sunday, September, 11th, 2022

Venue: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Where to Watch: MLB.tv 

DraftKings: Moneyline: Nationals +290, Phillies -345; 8.5

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  

PointsBet:  Moneyline: 

 

Nationals: 49-90, 5th place NL East

Phillies: 76-62, 3rd place NL East

The Phillies took Game 1 of this series off of the Nationals with Game 2 yet to play tonight (Saturday)... This prediction is for Game 3 on Sunday.  This is a Great Betting Opportunity as the betting lines in favor of the Phillies have soared!  Also if you put money on this game and decide to watch it… you will be the only one watching.  It takes place at 10:05 ET, 1:05 PST… exactly the same time that the first round of NFL games will be kicking off Sunday.  The TVs in clubhouse will not even be on the baseball game.  However… The good news is you can bet on it WITHOUT ACTUALLY WATCHING these scrubs.   The bet will pay whether you watch or not.

A National League East battle of the “also-rans”.  The National League East has two teams of note… The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.  Those big boys are locked in a ½ game tussle for first place that could go down to the wire.  They are the National League East teams that matter… They are the National league East teams with a chance to make noise in the postseason.  Neither the nationals nor the Phillies are any part of that.  The Nationals are mired in last place with no real chance of even catching the Marlins.  The Phillies are the better team sure, but they are still 11 games behind 2nd place.  So, this is a matchup that matters to only one group of people: BETTORS.  That’s right.. When good teams play each other the numbers don’t always point to an obvious winner…. Yet when bad teams play each other, at a time they are both out of the postseason discussion, the numbers paint a clearer picture.  Of course the Great Betting Opportunity starts with the pitching matchup… so let’s get to checking the numbers.

The Washington Nationals have won 6 of their last 10 games.  For the Nats, that was a super successful ten game stretch.  Especially when you consider the vaunted teams that they were able to beat a few times.  It has been nice of late.  They went 1-2 against the St Louis Cardinals, 2-1 against the New York Mets, 2-1 against the lowly Oakland Athletics, and 1-0 against the Cincinnati Reds.  Getting two wins off the Mets in a 3 game series was maybe the Nationals biggest accomplishment of the season (a season that had very few accomplishments).

The Philadelphia Phillies have won only 4 of their last 10 games.  The Phillies have real names producing very good numbers in their batting line-up.  The Phillies have slightly above average pitching.  What the Phillies do not have is a killer instinct… or impressive teamwork.  Some of these numbers (like being 3rd best in fielding errors with only 61 on the season) simply say that the team should have more wins.  They went 2-0 against the Miami Marlins, 0-3 against the San Francisco Giants.  1-2 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, 1-1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The numbers are good… the success rate is not.  The Phillies are a real head scratcher.  Another mystery is how SS Edmundo Sosa came over from the St Louis Cardinals and suddenly has jumped from a .189 batting average to .357.  The kid has 15 hits in 42 at bats with 2 home runs, 12 RBIs, and is making the case to move up from batting 9th.

Scott Rickenbach is 11-3 in MLB picks over the last 7 days for a profit of +$7,280!! You should be following along with the expert handicappers at BigAl.com. Get Scott Rickenbach’s picks… It's available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. You can also get help with all your favorite sports and sport betting.., MLB, NBA, NCAAF, NFL, NHL.  Follow a handicapper all year long to ensure a profitable year from your sports betting.

The Nationals are 26th in scoring with 3.73 runs per game, 12th in batting average with .247, and 18th in OBP with .312.

The Phillies are 6th in scoring with 4.68 runs per game, 9th in batting average with .254, and 13th in OBP with .317.

The Nationals pitchers are 30th in ERA with 5.11, 28th in WHIP with 1.45, and their fielders are 28th in errors with 82 on the season so far.

The Phillies pitchers are 12th in ERA with 3.88, 11th in WHIP with 1.24, and their fielders are 3rd in errors with 61 on the season so far.

Our prediction for Sunday, September 11th is…  Nats 5 - Phillies 2

The Nationals do not have the numbers to beat the Phillies… yet they have recently beat the Mets and the Cardinals during those series.  The Nationals will pay +290 on the moneyline.  This is an extreme value bet… to bet the Nationals on the moneyline.  They have done it before… The Phillies have been losing recently… It is worth the throw of $100 to get +290.  This is not a full unit bet ($1000)... but for value, dropping $100 at the same time the Phillies will deal with the entire city watching the Eagles instead of them… will pay big.

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Nationals: LF Y Hernandez (calf) Out ** SS C Kieboom (elbow) Out 

Phillies: RF N Castellanos (oblique) Quest ** CF S Muzziotti Out ** 

Nationals: RHP  Anibal Sanchez, 2-5, 4.56 ERA, 35 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched.  1.27 WHIP.  This 38 year old has a world of baseball experience and will need to rely heavily on that.

Phillies: RHP Aaron Nola, 9-11, 3.35 ERA, 200 strikeouts in 177 innings pitched.  0.97 WHIP.  Aaron is a strong kid… he throws real strikes and gets guys out… So, why does he have a losing record on this season?  

Nationals: 2B Luis Garcia, RF Joey Meneses, 1B Luke Voit, DH Nelson Cruz, C Keibert Ruiz, CF Lane Thomas, SS CJ Abrams, 3B Ildemaro Vargas, LF Joshua Palacios

Phillies: LF Kyle Schwarber, 1B Rhys Hoskins, 3B Alec Bohm, DH Bryce Harper, C JT Realmuto, 2B Matt Vierling, CF Brandonn Marsh, SS Edmundo Sosa

Nationals: Dave “what do I do now” Martinez

Phillies: Rob “Do I get the job?” Thomson

Sunny.  85*, Humidity 44%, wind 8 mph.  A real good day, a real good forecast.  Let’s play ball.