Phillies vs. Angels Preview: Pitching Matchup and Props for Aug. 30

The Phillies will attempt to sweep their road series with the Los Angeles Angels at 4:07 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, and another thriller could be in the works after each of the first two games went down to the wire. The Phillies (76-60) are now more than halfway through their nine game West Coast road swing, and three crucial games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, one of their closest competitors in the NL Wild Card race, await.

As such, they’ll need to make sure they don’t overlook the 52-84 Angels, especially after how tight the last two games were. It’ll be a hot afternoon on the West Coast, with a forecast first pitch temperature of 89 degrees. The high is only 90, however, so it shouldn’t get too much hotter as the day goes on. Humidity will sit around 50 percent throughout, and nine to 14 mile per hour winds out of the southwest could help fly balls on their way out of the yard. As per usual, NBC Sports Philadelphia has the rights to this matchup.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: PHI -190 / ANG +170
• Run Line: PHI -1.5 (-114) / ANG +1.5 (-105)
• Over/Under: 8 (Over -110 / Under -109)

Pitching Matchup

The Angels will send veteran lefty Yusei Kikuchi (6.25 ERA, 36 innings pitched, 1.58 WHIP and 9.25 K/9). His most recent start on Aug. 23 marked his first in four months due to a shoulder injury: Kikuchi allowed five runs in five innings as he got back in the swing of things.

Philadelphia will counter with trusty Zack Wheeler (3.40 ERA, 124.1 innings pitched, 1.09 WHIP and 10.71 K/9). Wheeler endured his worst start of the season to kick this road trip off against Seattle, shelled for eight runs and four homers in four innings. The Angels’ struggling lineup gives him as good a chance as any to regain his footing.

Kikuchi has spent the entirety of his Major League career in the American League: ditto with Wheeler and the NL. As such, the established veterans don’t have a whole lot of experience against their opposing lineups, with much of their history coming from batters who spent time in both leagues.

Batter/Pitcher

The Angels have a career .236 batting average against Wheeler (13-for-55), but almost all their hits come from catcher Travis d’Arnaud, formerly of the Atlanta Braves. He’s punished Wheeler for 10 hits in 27 at-bats, including a double, two homers and a walk.

The rest of the Angels are just 3-for-28 with 11 strikeouts against Wheeler. Adam Frazier, another longtime NL hand, is 1-for-11 with a homer; Tyler Heineman, another catcher, is 1-for-5 with a homer.

The Phillies’ distribution is more well-rounded, but players like Luis Arraez (3-for-10) and Kyle Schwarber (1-for-6 with a double and two strikeouts) with AL experience still lead the way. As a lineup, Philadelphia has a .250 batting average (12-for-48) with just two doubles and no home runs. They’ve struck out 14 times in 52 plate appearances, exactly 25 percent of the time.

When it comes to the prop market, pessimists could eye d’Arnaud to continue his dominance against Wheeler. The Phillies’ lack of power against Kikuchi means caution is a solid play on the home run market, while Wheeler’s strikeout line is always worth a look. Given both pitchers’ recent struggles, the live prop market might be a solid play if the ball starts to fly.