Phillies vs Diamondbacks Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers (August 19)
By Quinn Allen in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Phillies visit the Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon
- Philly is a heavy -210 favorite in the series finale
- Get the odds, preview, and prediction below
The Philadelphia Phillies (61-58, 25-33 away) wrap up a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks (39-81, 25-36 home) at Chase Field on Thursday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 3:40 pm ET. The D-Backs have won five of their last six against Philly.
The Phils send their ace Zack Wheeler to the mound while Madison Bumgarner takes the hill for Arizona.
Phillies vs Diamondbacks Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | -210 | -1.5 (-120) | O 8.5 (+100) |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +175 | +1.5 (+100) | U 8.5 (-120) |
Odds as of August 18th at DraftKings.
Philly is a heavy -210 favorite here despite their poor record against Arizona.
Probable Pitchers
Wheeler makes his 25th start of the year on Thursday for the Phillies. The 31-year-old has been absolutely lights out, going 10-7 with a 2.56 ERA, which is sixth in the majors. The hard-throwing righty has specifically excelled in the strikeout department, leading the big leagues with 187 Ks in just 162 innings of work.
However, Wheeler did lose his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds, giving up four runs across six innings while also surrendering two home runs.
Zack Wheeler, 97mph Paint. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/18V36x2i0O
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 13, 2021
The Philly ace hasn’t been as dominant since the All-Star Break, posting a 3.40 ERA. But, he’s pitched extremely well in day games this season with an ERA below two. While Wheeler hasn’t faced the Diamondbacks in 2021, he owns a career 2.58 ERA against them in seven appearances.
The Phillies will need him to put together a quality start on Thursday as they continue to fight for first place in the NL East. Wheeler is also well in the running for a Cy Young if he can continue to deal.
Wheeler vs Bumgarner
| 10-7 | Record | 6-7 |
| 2.56 | ERA | 4.30 |
| 162 | Innings Pitched | 98.1 |
| 187 | SO | 88 |
| 34 | BB | 21 |
It hasn’t been a great year for Bumgarner by any means, who was once one of the best pitchers in the game back in his days with the San Francisco Giants. After a rocky 2020, the southpaw hasn’t looked much better in 18 starts this season. Bumgarner has compiled a 6-7 record and 4.30 ERA for a struggling Arizona team that has one of the worst win-loss totals in the MLB.
The @SFGiants fans show nothing but love to their former World Series MVP, Madison Bumgarner 🧡
(via @NBCSGiants) pic.twitter.com/DBAaOnkxZb
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 11, 2021
However, the veteran has been a lot better across his last six outings. Bumgarner has allowed a maximum of two runs in each of those appearances while lasting seven innings in three of them. His last start was solid, limiting a very good San Diego Padres offense to two earned runs across 6.2 frames as he earned a no-decision.
The 32-year-old has a respectable track record against the Phillies as well, posting a 3.08 ERA in 73 innings.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Diamondbacks Hitters | Batting Average vs Wheeler | Phillies Hitters | Batting Average vs Bumgarner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Ahmed | .111 | Bryce Harper | .000 |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | .300 | Travis Jankowski | .000 |
| Bryan Holaday | .000 | Andrew Knapp | .000 |
| Ketel Marte | .375 | Andrew McCutchen | .000 |
| David Peralta | .333 | J.T. Realmuto | .600 |
| Josh Rojas | .000 | Jean Segura | .000 |
| Christian Walker | .667 | Ronald Torreyes | .333 |
The Phillies are just 5-5 in their last 10 ahead of Tuesday’s contest and will need to pick it up as they hunt down the Atlanta Braves, who are 2.5 games above them in first place in the NL East. Grabbing a victory on Thursday is an absolute must before rolling into San Diego to take on a tough Padres team, despite their own struggles post-All-Star.
Bryce Blast… as a treat 🤌#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/gqUrKMCXrR
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 18, 2021
Philadelphia’s offense has been pretty average this season, hitting .240 as a team while scoring just 4.5 runs per contest. Aside from Jean Segura and Bryce Harper, there hasn’t been a lot of consistency in their lineup. As they head into crunch time, both the bats and the arms must perform better.
In every way possible, the Diamondbacks have been atrocious in 2021. However, their struggles have primarily been on the mound, where they boast a team ERA of 5.26, which is 29th in the league. To put that into perspective, their lowest starter ERA is 4.30. At the dish though, Ketel Marte has been a breath of fresh air. He’s batting .344 on the year, but the 27-year-old has played in just 51 games due to injuries.
Hello, my name is Ketel Marte and my job is to rob Tommy Pham pic.twitter.com/xT7zz0kinl
— Zach Buchanan (@ZHBuchanan) August 15, 2021
Phillies vs Diamondbacks Prediction
Wheeler is coming off a rough outing, while Bumgarner has strung together some quality outings. However, the lefty has an ERA of five in day games, while Wheeler has carved when pitching in the afternoon.
The Phillies right-hander will also be poised for a bounce-back performance. Take the visitors to cover the spread.
Pick: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (-120)
Sports Writer
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
