July 5 MLB Series Prices: Divisional Matchups Highlight Holiday Weekend Schedule

• The Philadelphia Phillies look to halt a free-fall that has dumped them into third-place in the NL East as they visit the New York Mets
• The Los Angeles Angels continue to struggle with the untimely death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs as they visit the AL West-leading Houston Astros
• The Milwaukee Brewers search for answers to their recent struggles at the plate as they visit the surging Pittsburgh Pirates

A return to divisional matchups highlight the Fourth of July long weekend. Struggling NL East rivals clash as the Philadelphia Phillies visit the New York Mets. Still reeling from the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs earlier this week, the Los Angeles Angels close out a tough road trip in Houston, while the Pittsburgh Pirates take aim at the top spot in the NL Central as they host the offensively challenged Milwaukee Brewers.

We have odds for each of these new series as well as every other series kicking off on Friday.

Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Series Price

Slumping Divisional Rivals Clash as Phillies Visit New York

A pair of divisional rivals struggling to keep pace in the NL East standings clash this weekend, as the New York Mets play host to the Philadelphia Phillies as strong -177 favorites. The Mets were showing signs of turning the corner after dropping seven straight, posting consecutive wins over Atlanta and the New York Yankees earlier this week, but closed out their two-game tilt against the Bronx Bombers with Wednesday’s lopsided 5-1 loss to fall to 2-3 on their current eight-game home stand.

Strong home play has been one of the few highlights of what has quickly become a lost season for the Mets. New York takes a 39-48 overall record into the weekend, 12.5 games back of the first-place Braves, while going a respectable 22-17 at home. However, the Mets are just 3-6 in their past nine at home.

Phillies vs Mets Probable Starting Pitchers

Perched alone atop the NL East standings as recently as June 9th, the Phillies have struggled massively since, winning just eight of 22, and are coming off a three-game series in Atlanta, where they dropped two to the Braves to tumble into third place in the NL East standings, 6.5 games back.

Did the Phillies break out of their slump or are the Mets just really that bad? Maybe it’s a mixture of both 🤔 https://t.co/D4JW7Bzd10

— Dave from Philly ⚾️🦅 (@RealSlimSheepy) June 27, 2019

Four of Philadelphia’s eight wins during their current swoon came last week during a sweep of the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, lifting the club to 9-3 in their past 12 dates with New York. Like the Mets, Philadelphia has been a dismal performer on the road, going 3-9 while surrendering 7.16 runs per game. The Phillies have also failed to win a series in New York since July 2014, going 5-10 in 15 dates since, but remain an attractive wager at a lengthy +157.

Pick: Phillies (+157)

Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros Series Price

Grief-Stricken Angels Visit Red-Hot Astros as Massive Underdogs

A Los Angeles Angels squad still in mourning wraps up a painful week-long road trip in Houston this weekend, where they take on the AL West-leading Astros as heavy +250 underdogs. The Angels were rocked by the sudden and unexplained death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs on Monday, forcing the postponement of the first of four meetings with the Texas Rangers this week.

💔⚾️ Mike Trout breaks down after the Angels first game without Tyler Skaggs 🙏

Full Video:https://t.co/Zubb27tEkC pic.twitter.com/4CfeKI8xDJ

— Fanatics View (@fanaticsview) July 3, 2019

The Angels channeled their emotions into a pair of decisive victories over the Rangers before closing out the abbreviated series with Thursday’s 9-3 loss. Prior to this week’s tragedy, Los Angeles endured consistency problems, alternating between winning and losing streaks during a 7-6 run. However, the club has gone a steady 13-8 in 21 road contests since late May, claiming victory in four of their past six road series.

Angels vs Astros Probable Starting Pitchers

Listed as heavy -300 favorites in this weekend’s set with the Angels, the Astros return home on a high after sweeping a brief two-game series in Colorado, extending their current win streak to five games. Overall, Houston has won seven of nine, putting the brakes on a seven-game slide that marked the club’s longest losing streak since June 2015.

MLB Best Record vs. Teams with Winning Records
Yankees 22-11 .667
Dodgers 25-13 .658
Astros 34-21 .618
Twins 22-17 .564
Athletics 29-24 .547

— James Smyth (@JamesSmyth621) July 4, 2019

The Astros have also been dominant in the comfortable confines of Minute Maid Park, posting an AL-leading 31-13 home record, with their lone home series loss coming last week against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Astros have also owned Los Angeles with wins in 15 of 19 meetings, and are likely to be too much for a road-weary Angels squad eager to get home to take care of family business.

Pick: Astros (-300)

Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Series Price

Power Outage Fails to Dampen Brewers’ Odds in Weekend Clash in Pittsburgh

After dropping three of four in Cincinnati to kick off a seven-game road trip, the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend as slim -125 favorites. The Brewers have endured hard times on the road over the past month, going 3-9 in their past 12, and dumping their overall road record to a middling 19-24.

The #Brewers (46-42) continue to out play their expected run differential (RS / RA) record by three wins (43-45).

Milwaukee remains on pace for approximately 80 wins (-5 RS / -18 RA vs NL). This is the first day of season that arms & bats are both below avg.
#DailyPythagoras

— DeathToFlyingThings (@SpectiveWax) July 5, 2019

Despite their recent shaky performance, the Brewers enter the weekend with a share of top spot in the NL Central, and remain a solid +180 bet to claim the division crown. However, run production remains an issue for Milwaukee. The club failed to score a run over the final 23 innings of this week’s series with the Reds, and has tallied just 20 total runs over their past seven road games, contributing to a dismal -7 run differential on the season.

Brewers vs Pirates Probable Starting Pitchers

The Pirates are listed as intriguing +105 underdogs on the MLB series prices after going 12-6 in their past 18 outings to pull within three games of both the Brewers and Chicago Cubs. While Milwaukee has struggled at the plate, the Pirates are coming off a hard-fought series win over the Cubs, taking three of four while scoring eight runs per game.

The @Pirates are just three games out of first place in the NL Central and All-Star first baseman @JBell_19 is captaining the ship! 💪🏴‍☠️⚾️#MLBCentral | #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/ua9bFTNn54

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 5, 2019

Pittsburgh has dropped eight of 10 meetings with the Brewers this season, but have gone 9-3 in their past 12 home games, going undefeated in four straight home series, and look poised for a breakthrough against their divisional rivals.

Pick: Pirates (+105)

Additional MLB Series Odds