The Philadelphia Phillies (6-9, 4-4 home) take on the Milwaukee Brewers (9-6, 4-4 away) in the rubber match of a three-game series in front of a national audience on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast.
Philadelphia took the series opener on Friday, 4-2, and the Brewers bounced back with a 5-3 victory on Saturday.
Sunday’s first pitch is at 7 p.m. EST at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia is favored on the moneyline (-160), and the over-under run total is eight.
What to Know – Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers come into Sunday’s series finale winners of five of their last six games, including a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh earlier in the week. Milwaukee sits in second place in the NL Central, one-game back of the leading St. Louis Cardinals.
The scheduled starting pitcher for the visitors is lefty Eric Lauer (1-0, 3.48 ERA, 1.06 WHIP). Lauer has been solid in two starts this season, picking up his first victory of the year in his last start against the Pirates. On the season the 26-year-old has fired 10.1 innings, surrendering four earned runs on eight hits, three walks, with ten strikeouts.
Milwaukee is 26th in the majors with a .209 team batting average, scoring 4.5 runs per game. The Brewers’ pitching staff showcases a 3.50 team earned run average, good enough for 15th in the MLB.
Offensively woes have plagued the Brewers lineup over the first handful of games with one of the worst team batting averages in the league.
Outfielder Hunter Renfroe is five-for-ten (.500) at the dish over his last three contests, including a three-hit effort in Saturday’s triumph. First baseman Rowdy Tellez leads the team with three home runs and eight RBI.
What to Know – Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia aims to pick up their third victory in four games and win their first series since a three-game set against Oakland to begin the 2022 season. The Phillies, a popular playoff contender this season, are fourth in the NL East, 4.5 games behind the leading New York Mets.
Staff ace Aaron Nola (1-2, 5.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) takes the mound for the host. The former LSU star looks to pick up his second win after back-to-back losses. Nola has already surrendered four home runs this year over 14.2 innings of work.
The Phillies are fourth in the majors and third in the NL with a .258 team batting average. Philadelphia averages 4.3 runs per game. The Phillies’ pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.98, ranking 26th in the MLB.
Outfielder Nick Castellanos has fit in nicely in the Philadelphia lineup. The former Cincinnati Red All-Star is hitting .321 with three home runs and nine RBI. Kyle Schwarber, another offseason addition, leads the Phillies with four home runs.
The Pick is In
Two struggling offenses, the Brewers have struggled to get runners on base while the Phillies can’t knock their runners in. Nola hasn’t had his best stuff this year, but look for the talented right-hander to get back on track against a below-average lineup.
Betting Pick: Philadelphia Phillies ML
