The Phillies offense throttled the Nationals on Saturday, winning 19-4 in front of the Citizen's Bank Park crowd.
The 44-38 Phillies look to stay in the Wild Card picture against the 33-49 Nationals with Ranger Suarez on the mound. The left hander will oppose righty Trevor Williams in a Sunday afternoon matchup, can the Philly lineup stay hot?
Here are the odds:
Nationals vs. Phillies odds, run line and total
Nationals vs. Phillies prediction and pick
The Phillies offense was sixth in batting average in the month of June, and kept it rolling to start July with a 19 run performance against the Nationals. The offense has been humming and should stay in form against Washington, who is starting Williams on Sunday.
In 16 starts this season, Williams has gotten by with a 4.28 ERA, but that's supported by an xERA of 5.23 and low strikeout numbers (less than seven per nine innings). The Phillies offense should have its way with Williams and a Nationals bullpen that is the second worst in terms of ERA and is already taxed after extended work Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Phillies will hope that Suarez can remain in form, but his numbers suggest otherwise. The left hander has an ERA of 3.18, but his xERA is far higher at 4.22. He has allowed opponents to hit .305 on balls in play, yet has stranded 76% of runners.
The Nationals have been fantastic at hitting lefties despite the poor record, top five in the big leagues, so I believe that the team can stay more competitive than it did on Saturday.
I'm avoiding backing Suarez at a hefty price tag, instead I'll eye the over.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.