Phillies vs. Mariners Preview: Pitching Matchup and Props for Aug. 26

The Philadelphia Phillies will attempt to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners beginning at 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Their bats stayed cold in the second game of the series and, while this interleague matchup doesn’t have huge ramifications for the playoff field, the Phillies (73-60) need to keep a spring in their step with September fast approaching.

Expect beautiful weather at T-Mobile Park this afternoon, with a first pitch temperature of 72 degrees that will climb into the mid-70s as the game goes on. Sunny skies means the Mariners (64-69) should leave the retractable roof open. Humidity will start around 55 percent, gradually tailing off, while a six to 12 mile per hour breeze out of the south-southwest could help push balls over the outfield wall.

As per usual, NBC Sports Philadelphia has the broadcasting rights for this matchup.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: PHI -126 / MAR +114
• Run Line: PHI -1.5 (+137) / MAR +1.5 (-164)
• Over/Under: 7 (Over -103 / Under -117)

Pitching Matchup

The Mariners will send right-hander Bryan Woo (4.10 ERA, 138.1 innings pitched, 1.08 WHIP and 8.91 K/9) to the mound against Phillies’ left-hander Jesús Luzardo (3.35 ERA, 156 innings pitched, 1.15 WHIP and 11.19 SO/9). Philadelphia’s bats have an ugly .167 batting average (5-for-30) all-time against Woo, striking out seven times and drawing just two walks without any extra base hits.

Luis Arraez (2-for-8 with a walk) accounts for the majority of the Phillies’ trips on base and is the only one of their batters to have faced the young righty more than three times. J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm are each 1-for-3 against Woo, finding success without power in a limited sample size.

Luzardo has a couple more trips through the Mariners’ lineup to his name, limiting them to 14 hits in 61 at-bats (.230 batting average). Seattle strikes out more than 40 percent of the time against the flamethrowing lefty, logging 29 strikeouts in 61 at-bats, but they’ve also managed to draw eight walks. Julio Rodriguez (3-for-7 with a homer and a walk) sees the ball well out of Luzardo’s hand; Patrick Wisdom (2-for-13 with a triple, a homer and a walk) manages to drive the ball but hasn’t made a whole lot of contact, while Randy Arozarena (2-for-10 with four walks) plays his customary role of getting on base and wreaking havoc.

Props

Luzardo is tied for the fourth-most strikeouts in baseball, so he’s always a strong bet to rack up the K’s. The Phillies’ historic lack of success against Woo — albeit in limited opportunities — could make it tempting for pessimists to hammer the under on both the final score and total base props, but they could tap into more power once they get into the bullpen.

Eyeing the Mariners’ batter/pitcher matchups might be a safer bet given their larger track record against Luzardo.