Last time Michael Lorenzen toed the rubber for the Philadelphia Phillies, he tossed a no-hitter. How can he follow that up?
He'll try to continue to push the Phillies towards a postseason berth with another stellar start against the Washington Nationals. The Nats do bolster a stout offense, but have suspect pitching on the mound in right hander Joan Adon. How should we bet this matchup?
Let's get to the odds and hand out our best bet:
Phillies vs. Nationals odds, run line and total
Phillies vs. Nationals prediction and pick
It's never easy to follow up a no-hitter, but it won't be any easier against a Nationals lineup that has been an above average hitting unit all season long. Washington is fifth in batting average on the year, hitting .259 as a unit, and do a great job of making contact, striking out at the second lowest rate in the big leagues.
Lorenzen was named to the All-Star Game this season, but he will likely have his hands full against this Nationals lineup due to the club's ability to put the ball in play against a below average Phillies defensive lineup.
However, the Phillies should have little issue tagging Adon. The third year pro has only made four starts this season after posting a 7.10 ERA last season in 14 starts, and it hasn't been much better in 2023, allowing eight earned runs in 14 innings.
The Phillies offense has serious pop, eighth in slugging percentage, which is going to be a big issue for the Nationals starter, who has struggled with control and allowing home runs -- he has allowed three homers in four starts this season.
I'm going to target the over on Friday in hopes that Lorenzen comes back to Earth and Adon continues to struggle at the big league level.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.