Phillies vs. Astros Preview: Pitching Matchup and Props for Sept. 8

The Philadelphia Phillies will start their second-to-last interleague series of the regular season wen they host the Houston Astros at 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. These aren’t the same Astros (73-71) that the Phillies (81-63) faced in the World Series back in 2022; barely above .500, they’re only in a playoff spot because of the dismal state of the AL West.

Summer is on its way out, with temperatures expected to sit around 79 degrees at first pitch. Humidity will range between 55 and 70 percent, and winds between 2 to 7 miles per hour won’t do much to stir the air. Offense could get a jolt in the early innings with the breeze coming from the west-southwest, but it’ll shift to a direct southerly breeze by 8 p.m. There will be a national broadcast crew on hand tonight, with TBS carrying the game, but local networks like NBC Sports Philadelphia will have their own call as well.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Houston Astros +121 / Philadelphia Phillies -141
• Run Line: Houston Astros +1.5 (-169) / Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+141)
• Over/Under: 8.5 (Over -117 / Under -104)

Pitching Matchup

The Houston Astros will send Hayden Wesneski (3.18 ERA, 39.2 innings pitched, 1.06 WHIP, 7.49 K/9) to the mound. The 28-year-old righty returned from Tommy John surgery in late July and hasn’t missed a beat: while the strikeout numbers aren’t there, his ability to limit hard contact has put the Astros in an excellent position. Wesneski also has a strong track record against the Phillies, holding them to ten hits in 50 career at-bats (.200 batting average). Trea Turner (2-for-6 with two homers) is a solid pick to drive the ball, while reserve catcher Garrett Stubbs (1-for-3 with a double) and slugger Kyle Schwarber (1-for-5 with a homer) have the Phillies’ only other extra base hits.

The Fightins will counter with rookie righty Andrew Painter (5.55 ERA, 105.1 innings pitched 1.37 WHIP, 7.78 K/9), who hasn’t yet faced the Astros in his professional career. The only Houston batter with experience against Painter is outfielder Jorge Barrosa, who went 0-for-2 with a strikeout while playing with the Diamondbacks earlier this season; the Astros picked Barrosa up off waivers on Sept. 6. Painter has allowed just 14 runs in 40.1 innings (3.14 ERA) since returning to the big leagues in late July, so he’s a solid pick to continue his recent hot streak… and with 38 strikeouts in that span, he has a good shot of hitting the over of 4.5 strikeouts.