Phillies vs. Marlins Preview: Pitching Matchup and Props for Aug. 18

The Philadelphia Phillies will try to stretch their winning streak to five games at 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, fresh off a nail-biting 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins (64-62). Cristopher Sánchez dominated against the Fish in the first game of the series, but his bullpen almost blew it for him. The Phillies (68-58) are now back in the second wild card spot in the National League playoff field, but with only two games of cushion between them and an October spent on the couch, they have almost no margin for error.

NBC Sports Philadelphia will broadcast this matchup as the Fightins’ try to give themselves some breathing room.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Miami Marlins +205 / Philadelphia Phillies -247
• Run Line: Miami Marlins +1.5 (-106) / Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (-114)
• Over/Under: 8 (Over -115 / Under -105)

Weather

Expect temperatures in the mid-80s at first pitch, cooling off slightly as night sets in. Humidity will start around 55 percent, climbing up to 70 percent as the game goes on, while a 5 to 10 mile per hour cross-breeze is expected out of the northwest.

Pitching Matchup

The Marlins will mix things up tonight, sending lefty reliever Cade Gibson to the mound as an opener. This is former Phillie Tyler Phillips’ (3.65 ERA, 98.2 innings pitched, 1.36 WHIP and 6.97 K/9) typical spot in the rotation, so expect him to get the majority of the innings after Gibson’s day is done.

The Phillies hold a career .279 batting average (17-for-61) against Phillips; despite the prevalence of lefties in their lineup, they’ve teed off against Gibson (16-for-39), so don’t be surprised if there’s an early pitching change. Phillies’ righty Zack Wheeler (2.89 ERA, 115.1 innings pitched, 1.00 WHIP and 10.69 K/9), meanwhile, will try to continue more than a decade of dominance against Miami. This iteration of the Marlins’ lineup holds a .220 batting average (13-for-59) against Wheeler, with more than half those hits coming from Otto Lopez (7-for-16).

Alec Bohm (5-for-8 with a homer) and Brandon Marsh (3-for-7 with a homer) have both done extensive damage against Phillips; Kyle Schwarber (2-for-8 with a homer and three walks) is another strong candidate to get on base early and often, giving Phillies’ bettors a trio of solid picks. Marlins batters strike out 33.8 percent of the time against Wheeler (22 times in 65 plate appearances), another prop to monitor carefully.