The over is 9-1 in the last 10 games of the Washington Nationals. Photo by @ESPNStatsInfo (Twitter).
- Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals clash on Tuesday (Aug 25, 6:05 pm EST)
- Jake Arrieta (1-3, ERA 4.95) will leave for the Phillies, while the Nationals will contend with Erick Fedde (1-1, 2.55 ERA)
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game
Two of MLB’s most underwhelming teams this season will line up Tuesday at 6:05 PM EST in Washington. The reigning Nationals champion, who started 11-15, hosts a Phillies team that started 10-14.
This will be the first of seven meetings between the two clubs in the next 10 days, and both have been so poor this season that even the oddsmakers have had trouble picking a favorite.
Phillies vs Nationals Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total on FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | -108 | -1.5 (+138) | Over 10.0 (-104) |
| Washington Nationals | -108 | +1.5 (-164) | Below 10.0 (-118) |
Odds taken on August 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 the last 10. Attack should not be missing. Tuesdays, especially for Nats, who will face a struggling Jake Arrieta.
2020 World Series Odds Tracker
Arrieta shows her age
The 34-year-old is keeping up with his worst season in nine years and has been hit hard in three of four outings this season. He did not get out of the 5th inning in consecutive starts and last time out he walked more batters (4) than he had eliminated (3).
Rafael Devers takes Jake Arrieta deep pic.twitter.com/X7PGXuJYkr
– The Ledge (@TheLedgeSports) 19 August 2020
Opposing teams have stripped him 0.293 this season and he ranks in the bottom seven places in the fluctuating strike rate. His fastball lost a bit of a zip and dropped to 92 mph and 44.8% of hitters are making hard contact against him.
Washington meanwhile, has scored at least eight points in two consecutive games and in three of its last five games. Juan Soto and Trea Turner are pacing the team offensively and have also gotten solid production from Asdrubal Cabrera.
Statistics on the career of citizens against Arrieta
| Player | FROM | 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 five home runs and 11 RBI out of 43 beats.
Fedde forced the fill
Stephen Strasburg’s wrist surgery at the end of the season opened a spot in Washington’s initial rotation and Erick Fedde will have his first attempt at winning the job. The 27-year-old is 1-1 out of two this season, but is not known for going into matches. In 28 career beginnings, he has never made it past the 6th inning and so far in 2020 he has nearly twice the number of batters (9) than those eliminated (5).
Erick Fedde has a 2.55 ERA and a 2.55 K / 9 in 2020.
– Max Goldstein (@MaxSportsStudio) 21 August 2020
With another short outing likely on Tuesday, the Phillies should have plenty of opportunities to break Nats’ middle bullpen. Rescuers from Washington rank at the center of the pack in most statistical categories and are fresh from the race allowing five races on Monday at the Marlins.
Phillies career stats against Fedde
| Player | FROM | 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 |
| JT Realmuto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Gregory has learned | 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 bout, meanwhile, has been inconsistent at best this season but boasts talent up and down the lineup. JT Realmuto leads the team in home runs with eight, while Bryce Harper leads the Majors in OPS (1,192) and is cutting .343 / .478 / .714.
Play Over
With Arrieta struggling and Fedde likely not to register many innings, both teams’ bullpens could see a lot of action on Tuesday. This is good news for crime, because while national rescuers are mediocre, the Phillies bullpen is a mess.
The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen currently holds an 8.33 ERA which is the worst in MLB history #The bell rings
– Sports Are Philly (@SportsArePhilly) 23 August 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 heap for both teams seems too low.
Pick: Over 10.0 (-104)
Chris Amberley
Sports writer and editor
Chris began his career at Hockey Night in Canada over 15 years ago. He has since worked for TSN for over 12 years as a writer, line-up producer, field producer, editorial supervisor for Sportscentre and currently as a promotion producer.
