Cold Bats or Hot Streak? Decoding Phillies vs. Giants with MLB Odds
The Philadelphia Phillies go for a third straight win to keep pace in the NL East as they host the San Francisco Giants in the first match of a four-game weekend series on Friday night. MLB odds favor the Phillies, who have the second-best record in baseball, but we’ll take a closer look at this contest to help you with your wagers.
Philadelphia is coming off a 7-3 road trip, winning the last two of a series with the Los Angeles Angels this week. The Phillies are in second place in the tight NL East race, sitting a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves for the top spot.
San Francisco snapped a two-game losing skid with a win in its series finale against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. The Giants are in the middle of a cluster in the NL West, trailing the San Diego Padres by percentage points for second place in the division and sitting just a game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Giants vs Phillies Game Information
- Game: Giants (15-17) vs Phillies (21-11)
- Date/Time: Friday, May 3, 6:40 p.m. ET
- Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- Giants vs Phillies Live Stream: MLB.tv
This is the first time these teams have played this season, though they’re scheduled for seven total matchups in 2024, all in May. The Giants took the season series in 2023, 4-2, though both losses came in Philadelphia.
Las Vegas MLB odds favor the Phillies in the series opener with a -154 moneyline, compared to the Giants at +133. If you want to bet the run line, you can get San Francisco at +1½ (-150).
The over/under is set at 7½ runs, with -110 odds available for either side of that wager.
Giants vs Phillies Moneyline Odds and Run Line
Giants vs Phillies Betting Trends
- San Francisco is 7-2 in its last nine games with Philadelphia.
- The Phillies are 8-2 in their last 10 games against a National League opponent.
- The total has gone over in eight of Philadelphia’s last 11 games against San Francisco.
- The total has gone under in five of the Giants’ last six games on the road.
- San Francisco is 5-2 in its last seven games against an NL East opponent.
Giants Bats Stay Cold as Hicks Aims to Stifle Phillies
San Francisco snapped a two-game losing skid with a win over the Red Sox on Thursday, but it wasn’t exactly an offensive bonanza for the Giants. The team managed a total of six hits in getting its three runs, bringing its total to just 15 hits for the three-game series against Boston.
“Six hits. Scratched three runs out of it today, but there’s still more out there,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said after the win. “But when you win a game you don’t really concern yourselves with that. It’s when we’re losing games and not getting many hits and not scoring many runs. Did enough today.”
The Giants rank in the middle of the pack in MLB stats offensively, sitting at 20th in runs (121) and 17th in both total hits (249) and batting average (.238) heading into this series.
Outfielder Michael Conforto has been the most consistent San Francisco batter at the plate, hitting .250 with six doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI, and 16 runs scored. That being said, Conforto comes into this series ice cold, going 2-for-19 over his last five games with five strikeouts.
The team will be relying on Friday’s starter, right-hander Jordan Hicks, to keep it in the game against the Phillies. The 27-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA (sixth in baseball) in six starts this season.
Hicks has allowed just six earned runs in his six outings in 2024, giving up more than one earned run in only one contest. He’s coming off a gem against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Saturday in which he went six innings and allowed one run on five hits while striking out nine and walking none.
Despite Offensive Woes, Nola Gives Phillies Edge in Giants Showdown
Philadelphia is coming off a win on Wednesday, but it wasn’t exactly a win the team is proud of. The Phillies eked out a 2-1 victory against the Angels despite striking out 18 times as a team. It was the 11th time since 1906 the team has had that many strikeouts in a game.
“I haven’t seen that for a while and don’t know what to attribute that to. I guess guys were making perfect pitches on us,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Today wasn’t our best day offensively, but we grinded through it. You have to win those types of games when you’re not at your best.”
The Phillies have been winning in many different ways this season, but they’re still looking up at the Braves in the NL East standings. Philadelphia begins a stretch of 14 of its next 19 games being at home on Friday, so it’s hoping to make a move up this month.
Third baseman Alec Bohm comes into this series on a 15-game hitting streak. The 27-year-old is batting .362 this season to rank second in baseball, and he’s also second in the majors in RBI with 30.
April: a month of Bohments@PALottery x #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/uGx4UJl9Qe
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 2, 2024
Philadelphia will send right-hander Aaron Nola to the mound for Friday. Nola is 4-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 2024, striking out 36 in 39⅓ innings.
Nola is coming off his fourth straight winning decision, going eight innings against the San Diego Padres last Friday and allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out 10 and walking one.
Back the Hot Hand: Why Nola, Phillies are Friday’s Best Bet
Hits and runs are going to be hard to come by on Friday night, with Hicks and Nola both pitching extremely well this season. But, if you’re trying to determine how to make your MLB bets on this one, the home team is the way to go.
San Francisco is struggling too much offensively to pick it to scratch out enough to top the Phillies. Look for a dominating performance by Nola as Philadelphia extends its winning streak to three with the outright win.
Question of the Day
Who won the season series between the Giants and Phillies last season?
San Francisco took the season series with Philadelphia in 2023, winning four of six games.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
