Phillies vs Nationals Odds, Lines, and Spread – Aug. 25
- The Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals clash on Tuesday (Aug. 25, 6:05 pm EST)
- Jake Arrieta (1-3, 4.95 ERA) will start for the Phillies, while the Nationals will counter with Erick Fedde (1-1, 2.55 ERA)
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game
Two of the more disappointing teams in MLB this season square off on Tuesday at 6:05 pm EST in Washington. The defending champion Nationals, who are off to an 11-15 start host a Phillies squad that’s started 10-14.
This will be the first of seven meetings between the two clubs over the next 10 days, and they’ve both been so mediocre this season that even the oddsmakers had trouble picking a favorite.
Phillies vs Nationals Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | -108 | -1.5 (+138) | Over 10.0 (-104) |
| Washington Nationals | -108 | +1.5 (-164) | Under 10.0 (-118) |
Odds taken Aug. 24th.
The game opened as a pick’em in the Phillies vs Nationals odds and features a total of 10. Three of Philadelphia’s last four games have exceeded the total, while the over is 9-1 in Washington’s last 10. There should be no shortage of offense on Tuesday, especially for the Nats, who will square off against a struggling Jake Arrieta.
Arrieta Showing his Age
The 34-year-old is on pace for his worst season in nine years and has been hit hard in three of four outings this season. He hasn’t made it out of the 5th inning in back-to-back starts, and last time out he walked more batters (4) than he struck out (3).
Rafael Devers takes Jake Arrieta deep pic.twitter.com/X7PGXuJYkr
— The Ledge (@TheLedgeSports) August 19, 2020
Opposing teams are hitting .293 off him so far this season and he ranks bottom-seven in swinging strike percentage. His fastball has lost some zip and is down to 92 mph and 44.8% of hitters are making hard contact against him.
Washington meanwhile, has scored at least eight runs in two straight games and in three of its past five contests. Juan Soto and Trea Turner are pacing the team offensively, and they’ve also been getting solid production from Asdrubal Cabrera.
Nationals Career Stats vs Arrieta
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trea Turner | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | .167 |
| Adam Eaton | 24 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | .250 |
| Juan Soto | 9 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | .444 |
| Howie Kendrick | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .111 |
| Eric Thames | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .167 |
| Yan Gomes | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 16 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | .375 |
| Luis Garcia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Victor Robles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
The trio has fared quite well against Arrieta in the past, combining for five home runs and 11 RBI over 43 at-bats.
Fedde Forced to Fill-In
Stephen Strasburg’s season ending wrist surgery opened up a spot in Washington’s starting rotation and Erick Fedde will get the first crack at trying to win the job. The 27-year-old is 1-1 in two starts this season, but is not known for going deep into games. In 28 career starts, he’s never made it past the 6th inning and so far in 2020, he’s walked almost twice as many batters (9) than he’s struckout (5).
Erick Fedde has a 2.55 ERA and a 2.55 K/9 in 2020.
— Max Goldstein (@MaxSportsStudio) August 21, 2020
With another short outing likely on Tuesday, the Phillies should get plenty of opportunities to rough up the Nats average bullpen. Washington relievers rank middle of the pack in most statistical categories and are fresh off allowing five runs on Monday to the Marlins.
Phillies Career Stats vs Fedde
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew McCutchen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Rhys Hoskins | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .100 |
| Bryce Harper | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| J.T. Realmuto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Didi Gregorius | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Alec Bohm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Adam Haseley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Andrew Knapp | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Roman Quinn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Philly’s offense meanwhile, has been inconsistent at best this season, but does boast talent up and down the lineup. J.T. Realmuto leads the team in home runs with eight, while Bryce Harper leads the Majors in OPS (1.192) and is slashing .343/.478/.714.
Play the Over
With Arrieta struggling and Fedde not likely to log many innings, both teams’ bullpens could see plenty of action on Tuesday. That’s good news for the offenses, because while the Nationals relievers are mediocre, the Phillies bullpen is a disaster.
The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen currently holds an 8.33 ERA which is the worst in MLB History #RingTheBell
— Sports Are Philly (@SportsArePhilly) August 23, 2020
Both Washington and Philadelphia have a tendency to play high scoring games in 2020 and an over/under of 10 with so many questions on the mound for both teams seems too low.
Pick: Over 10.0 (-104)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
