Phillies vs. Orioles Aug. 2 Preview: Odds, Pitching Matchup, and Props for August 2

The Phillies (57-53) will play to take their road series against the Baltimore Orioles (54-56) this afternoon, facing off at Camden Yards at 1:35 p.m. Staff ace Cristopher Sánchez snapped a four-game losing streak their last time out, and now the ball goes to Zack Wheeler.

Even with the positive jolt, the Phillies hold a dismal 2-8 record over their last ten games and have had a quiet run up to the trade deadline so far. The Orioles continue to tread water, playing .500 baseball over their last ten games.

Phillies fans can tune into the local television broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Philadelphia Phillies -128 / Baltimore Orioles +120
• Run Line: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+126) / Baltimore Orioles 1.5 (-152)
• Over/Under: 7.5 (Over -124 / Under +102)

Weather

Isolated thunderstorms could delay today’s start. Temperatures will sit in the low 80s all afternoon, and 75 percent humidity will make for miserable playing conditions. A 10 mile per hour cross breeze with gusts up to double that speed could impact how outfielders have to play… but it shouldn’t turn Orioles Park into a boombox.

Pitching Matchup

The Orioles will send Kyle Bradish (3.74 ERA, 118 innings pitched, 1.36 WHIP and 8.69 K/9) to the mound. Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (2.53 ERA, 103.0 innings, 0.92 WHIP and 10.75 K/9) remains excellent at age 36, making for a solid road matchup.

Phillies vs. Kyle Bradish

Kyle Schwarber is the only Phillies starter with a home run against Bradish, but he holds an unimpressive 1-for-6 career mark against the righty. As a team, the Phillies hold a 6-for-32 (.188 batting average) mark against Bradish, so this matchup could continue to torment them.

Alec Bohm (2-for-4) and J.T Realmuto (1-for-3 with a double) hold the only real success in this matchup; Bryce Harper has an 0-for-5 career mark. Even if they can’t solve Bradish, grinding out at-bats so they can get into Baltimore’s bullpen early could prove critical.

Props

Zack Wheeler’s strikeout prop is an attractive starting point as always, with him favored to go over 7.5 strikeouts with -125 odds.

As per usual, Kyle Schwarber is the favorite homer play at +200. While he has struggled for consistency against Kyle Bradish, his lone career hit off the righty was a round-tripper, making his power upside hard to ignore. For a safer contact play, bettors can look to J.T Realmuto or Alec Bohm to record more than 1.5 bases; pessimists could target the under against Bradish.

On the other side of the infield, former Met Pete Alonso holds a career .244 batting average (10-for-42) with two doubles, 13 strikeouts and no homers against Wheeler. Phillies fans who still hold a grudge against Alonso could target that matchup.

Tidbits

• The under has hit in 58.9% of the Phillies’ away games this season, pointing to a strong tendency for lower-scoring affairs when they go on the road.
• Despite recent struggles, the Phillies maintain a winning 30-26 (.536) straight-up record in away contests for the year.
• Philadelphia will be looking to reverse a cold stretch, having gone just 2-8 (.200) straight up over their last 10 games.
• Baltimore has played in tight, lower-scoring contests recently, with the under cashing in 60.0% of the Orioles’ last 20 games alongside a 12-8 straight-up record in that span.