Phillies vs Nationals Prediction - MLB Picks 8/18/23

Washington Nationals (55-67) vs Philadelphia Phillies (66-55)

Game Info: Friday, August 18, 2023 at 7:05 pm (Nationals Park)

Joan Adon (1-0) (5.14) vs Michael Lorenzen (7-7) (3.23)

Betting Odds: Washington Nationals +170 / Philadelphia Phillies -205 --- Over/Under: 9 Click Here for the Latest Odds

Where to Watch: MLB.tv Stream the MLB Game of the Day all season on ESPN+. Sign up now! Advertisement

The Philadelphia Phillies will play the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of their series on Friday night at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The Nationals have played some of their best baseball recently, while Philadelphia has not won a series in their last two tries. These two teams played about a week ago, with Philadelphia winning three out of four games. 

Phillies Preview

The Philadelphia Phillies are 66-55 this season and they have lost three of their last four games. Philadelphia is coming off of a series split with the Blue Jays, where they won one game and lost one game. The Phillies offense has gone cold in their last four games, scoring six runs in the four games. The Philadelphia pitching staff has a 3.96 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and a .240 opponent batting average this year. The Phillies offense has scored 560 runs with a .255 batting average and a .323 on base percentage. Kyle Schwarber is batting .180 with 30 home runs and 74 RBI’s for the Phillies. The projected starting pitcher for Philadelphia is Michael Lorenzen, who is 7-7 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP over 122.2 innings pitched this season.

Nationals Preview

The Washington Nationals are 55-67 this season and they have won five of their last six games. Washington is coming off of a series win against Boston, where they won two out of three games. The Nationals offense has hit the ball well lately, scoring six runs or more in three of their last four games. The Washington pitching staff has a 4.88 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and a .268 opponent batting average. The Nationals offense has scored 537 runs with a .259 batting average and a .320 on base percentage this season. Lane Thomas is batting .281 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI’s for the Nationals. The projected starting pitcher for Washington is Joan Adon, who is 1-0 with a 5.14 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP over 14 innings pitched this year.

Washington Nationals Team Facts

  • The Nationals have lost each of their last seven games against NL East opponents following a home win.
  • The Nationals have covered the run line 10 of their last 11 home games against teams that held a winning record.
  • The Nationals have led after 5 innings in four of their last six games as home underdogs against National League opponents.
  • The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Nationals' last three games as home underdogs against National League opponents.
  • The Nationals have led after 7 innings in four of their last six games as home underdogs against National League opponents.

Philadelphia Phillies Team Facts

  • The Phillies have won each of their last 11 night games against the Nationals at Nationals Park following a win.
  • The Phillies have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight night games against NL East opponents following a road win.
  • The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Phillies' last six games as road favorites against National League opponents.

Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts

  • Lane Thomas has hit a home run in two of the Nationals' last three home games against NL East opponents.
  • Joey Meneses has recorded at least one RBI in eight of his last nine Friday appearances with the Nationals as underdogs.
  • Keibert Ruiz has recorded two or more total bases in each of the Nationals' last six home games.
  • Keibert Ruiz has scored at least one run in each of the Nationals' last six home games.
  • Keibert Ruiz has recorded at least one hit in each of the Nationals' last six home games.

Philadelphia Phillies Player Prop Facts

  • J.T. Realmuto has hit a home run in three of the Phillies' last four road games against the Nationals.
  • J.T. Realmuto has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last three appearances with the Phillies as road favorites against NL East opponents.
  • Kyle Schwarber has recorded two or more total bases in each of the Phillies' last five games as road favorites against the Nationals.
  • Kyle Schwarber has scored at least one run in six of the Phillies' last seven road games against NL opponents that held a losing record.
  • Michael Lorenzen has recorded four or more strikeouts in 10 of his last 11 appearances with his team as a favorite.
  • Nick Castellanos has recorded at least one hit in each of the Phillies' last 10 games as favorites against NL East opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

  • The Washington Nationals ranks 2nd in the league for strikeouts against this season (870).
  • The Washington Nationals ranks 29th in the league for strikeouts this season (923).
  • The Philadelphia Phillies ranks 24th in the league for strikeouts against this season (1104).
  • The Philadelphia Phillies ranks 8th in the league for slugging percentage this season (.421).

Pick

The Phillies won three out of four games against Washington just a few series ago, but Washington has played very well since that point. The Nationals are last in the NL East, but Philadelphia doesn’t play great on the road. Washington is starting Joan Adon, who has allowed five earned runs in his last 11 innings of work. Philadelphia is starting Michael Lorenzen, who has allowed two earned runs in 17 innings pitched for the Phillies this year. Lorenzen threw a no hitter against the Nationals in his last start. I like how Washington has played recently and I am going to take them +1.5 here. 

David’s Pick Nationals +1.5

Get Premium Picks Start Winning Now »
The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.
Previous Pick
Next Pick

Mitch's Take...

College Football Best Bets Today Picks & Predictions Week 5 Saturday 9/30/23 | 7 Picks in 5 Minutes

Credit Guaranteed Packages

Packages with Credit Guarantees automatically give you a credit if the package does not turn a profit—the sum of betting all individual picks. THESE ARE NOT PARLAYS UNLESS OTHERWISE CLEARLY STATED. If a credit guaranteed package does not profit, a credit for its full purchase price is automatically issued after picks are graded and verified.

For example, if you purchase a $39.95 package that doesn’t profit, you’ll get a $39.95 credit towards any future purchase(s) on our site. Credits are usually issued within hours of a game’s conclusion, so please allow a few hours for final verification.

To use your credits, log in to your account and add another package or pass to your cart. Credits will automatically reduce what you owe. Any remaining balance will be settled through our payment system, with any leftover credits available future purchases. Credits do not expire.

Dismiss