The Philadelphia Phillies turn to Roy Halladay today, who is looking for his tenth consecutive win against the Washington Nationals since 2002
Philadelphia has lost three-straight for the fourth time this season but each time they were able to throw on the brakes in game 4
The first round of Interleague baseball betting did not go as planned for the Philadelphia Phillies and on Monday, the losing streak hit three-straight when Gio Gonzalez teamed with three relievers to sit their eastern rival down 2-1.
Philadelphia had won six in a row against four different opponents from May 13-18 but all of those teams had sub-.500 records. Washington (25-17) is just a half-game back of Atlanta for first in the NL East and riding their best start since moving from Montreal in 2005.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (2-4, 2.58 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Roy Halladay (4-3, 3.22 ERA)
Pinnacle Odds: Phillies -148, 6.5 UN (-107)
Washington’s injury report reads like a fairly decent fantasy baseball roster but Ryan Zimmerman has started to make good contact and his return has helped increase the Nats run per game average to 4.2 in May. The Nationals are 3-1 against the Phillies this season and 8-1 since Aug. 21, 2011, but they have not beaten Halladay since June 28, 2002.
Online sportsbooks offer the Phillies at (+153) on the run line and buying this game to -1 moves the odds to (-101). The lack of offense has made Philadelphia (21-22, -8.7 units) a risky play this season but they hit Zimmerman well on May 6 and he is 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA against the Phils lifetime. We lean to the under but Washington’s bullpen is not in great shape so our play is on the home side.
Pick: Take the Phillies -1 (-101)
RUN THE BASES
Philadelphia is 18-13 against right-handed pitchers this season, hitting .271 (fifth overall)
The Phillies have 6 overs and 3 unders in nine Halladay starts this season
Washington is hitting .228 on the road this season (10-9) and scoring 3.56 RPG
Follow EveryEdge on Twitter for more MLB picks from top handicappers and visit the EE Sports Betting Forum right now for today’s baseball picks and `capping notes.