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The Philadelphia Phillies will be at home to face the Washington Nationals on Thursday night. The Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Wednesday to improve to 56-48 this season. The Nationals now sit at 36-70 this year after their 9-5 loss to the New York Mets.
The Nationals now trail by 31 games in the National League East division. The Phillies are now 10 games back in the same division behind the Mets heading into Thursday's matchup.
"The Phillies have acquired right-handed starter Noah Syndergaard from the Los Angeles Angels..." - Phillies
Noah Syndergaard gets the ball Thursday for the Phillies, carrying a 5-8 record and a 3.83 ERA. He'll be making his first start for his new club after being traded just a few days ago. The Nationals offense he'll be up against ranks #26 in runs per game, and they just traded away their two best hitters, Juan Soto and Josh Bell.
In his last outing as an Angel, Syndergaard tossed 5 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and one earned run in a loss to the Kansas City Royals. Look for the righty, who is very familiar with the Nationals from his time with the Mets, to have a strong debut.
"Happy throwback Thorsday! #RingTheBell" - Phillies
Paolo Espino will start Thursday for Washington. He is 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA in nine starts this year. The Phillies offense he'll be up against ranks up at #8 in runs per game and #7 in home runs.
In his previous start, Espino threw 4 2/3 frames, giving up seven hits and four earned runs to the St. Louis Cardinals. Espino doesn't usually go deep, and the Nats have a 5.46 road bullpen ERA which will help out the Phillies' offense.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Match Details
Fixture: Washington Nationals @ Philadelphia Phillies
Date & Time: Thursday, August 4, 7:05 p.m. EDT
Venue: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Betting Odds
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Best Picks
Over the last two seasons, J.T. Realmuto is slugging .617 against right-handers who throw a high percentage of breaking pitches. He also has a .971 OPS over the last four weeks, so expect him to stay hot from the clean-up spot in the opener.
Pick: J.T. Realmuto Over 1.5 Total Bases (+100)
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Betting Prediction
Following the trade deadline, the Nationals have one of the least talented teams, if not the least, in baseball. They were already 30 games under prior to trading away their best players, so expect them to get blown out quite frequently. Espino isn't terrible, but Syndergaard and Philly's bats should get the job done on Thursday.
Prediction: Phillies -2.5 (+135)
