The Philadelphia Phillies go for a third straight win when they face the Milwaukee Brewers in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday night. The first pitch for this contest is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Philadelphia took the series opener on Monday, blowing out the Brewers 12-0. The Phillies are 71-66 and in second place in the National League East, trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves by 1½ games and leading the third-place New York Mets by 2½ games. Philadelphia is two games out of the second Wild Card spot in the National League held by the San Diego Padres.
The Brewers had a two-game winning streak snapped with Monday’s loss, falling to 84-55. Milwaukee is atop the NL Central standings, leading the second-place Cincinnati Reds by 11 games.
The MLB lines for this contest have the Phillies with a moneyline of -103, while the Brewers are listed at -107 if you want to bet online on the game, with the over/under set at 8½ runs.
Perfect Record
Monday’s win was Philadelphia’s fifth in five games against the Brewers, as it swept a four-game series between the two teams in early May. The Phillies hit six home runs in Monday’s game, with Bryce Harper starting things off with a two-run homer in the first inning.
“Harp got us going early. Getting that momentum going early is big, especially what we’re trying to accomplish right now,” Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler said after getting the win in Monday’s victory. “I was able to ride that.”
Harper has been heating up down the stretch of the season, hitting .383 with five home runs and 14 RBIs over his last 12 games. Monday was his first game against the Brewers this season after he missed the first series between the two clubs.
Right-hander Aaron Nola will get the start on Tuesday. Nola is 7-7 with a 4.54 ERA, though he hasn’t recorded a win since July 25.
Nola has six no-decisions in his last seven starts, including one in his last outing against Washington on Thursday, as he went four innings and allowed six runs on six hits, including two home runs, in a 7-6 victory. Nola picked up a win against the Brewers earlier in the season, going six innings and allowing one run on five hits.
Rough Start
The Brewers have all but wrapped up the NL Central title, but they want to contend for the top spot in the National League and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Milwaukee took two of three from the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend but came up very flat in the series opener.
Outfielder Christian Yelich had two of the Brewers’ six hits and first baseman Rowdy Tellez had the only extra-base hit of the game for Milwaukee on Monday. The Brewers were shut out for the first time in 10 games.
It hasn’t helped that the team’s hitting leader, Avisail Garcia, has only made a pinch-hitting appearance in the last four games due to hamstring and back tightness. Garcia leads the Brewers in almost all offensive categories, including batting average (.267), home runs (24) and RBIs (77).
Left-hander Eric Lauer will be on the mound for the Brewers The 26-year-old is 4-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 starts and 19 overall appearances.
Lauer took a loss against the Phillies earlier this season, going six innings and allowing two earned runs (six overall) on eight hits, including three home runs. He’s coming off a no-decision against San Francisco as he pitched seven innings and allowed just one run on three hits, including a home run, in a 5-1 loss.
Phillies Win Again
Philadelphia is on a roll and has its playoff life to play for, as opposed to the Brewers, who are pretty well set with a postseason berth. Milwaukee’s injury troubles will continue to hinder its offense as the Phillies roll to another win.
When doing your MLB betting, take Philadelphia to win on the road.
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