Phillies vs Diamondbacks Preview: Pitching Matchup and Props for Sept. 1

September is here, and with it the last month of Major League Baseball’s regular season. The Philadelphia Phillies will try to push their winning streak to six games at 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, facing the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second game of a series with major implications for the National League Wild Card race. The Phillies (78-60) took the series opener in nail-biting fashion, winning 2-1; the Diamondbacks (73-66) are a half game out of the third wild card spot and have plenty to play for.

First pitch will take place just 13 minutes before sunset, but the forecast still calls for a whopping 97 degree heat as the game begins. The Diamondbacks typically only close the roof at Chase Field when the thermometer hits triple digits, so there’s a good chance it’ll be open tonight. As such, both teams will be subject to humidity between 35 and 45 percent and a four to ten mile per hour cross breeze from the west. NBC Sports Philadelphia holds the telecasting rights for tonight’s game.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Philadelphia Phillies -135 / Arizona Diamondbacks +116
• Run Line: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+123) / Arizona Diamondbacks +1.5 (-148)
• Over/Under: 7.5 (Over -119 / Under -102)

Pitching Matchup

The Diamondbacks will send veteran southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez (2.50 ERA, 162 innings pitched, 1.19 WHIP and 6.61 K/9) to the mound. The Phillies are 14-for-69 (.203 batting average) all-time against Rodriguez. Alec Bohm (3-for-5 with two doubles and three walks) tees off against the lefty, while Bryce Harper is 3-for-12 with four strikeouts and the Phillies’ lone homer.

Kyle Schwarber holds a miserable 0-for-8 mark with four strikeouts and one walk; other key contributors like Luis Arraez and Trea Turner have also struggled. As a team, the Phillies have 15 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances against Rodriguez, a hair under 20 percent. They’ll counter with their own lefty, Jesús Luzardo (3.09 ERA, 163 innings pitched, 1.12 WHIP and 11.21 K/9), one of the best in the league at making batters miss. Arizona is 15-for-67 (.224 batting average) against Luzardo with no home runs; they’ve struck out 21 times in 76 plate appearances (27.6 percent), below his season average.

Ketel Marte (5-for-11 with a double and three walks) is a candidate to shell Luzardo; Corbin Carroll holds his own with two singles in six at-bats, while other big names like Nolan Arenado (2-for-15) have struggled. Luzardo’s lack of strikeouts against the Diamondbacks is a point to watch when it comes to the prop betting market, as his strikeout total is always worth a look. Players with historic success in their respective matchups like Bohm and Marte are another potential play, as is the under in this expected pitchers duel.