Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Philadelphia Phillies by 2Looking at this matchup, we've got the Washington Nationals visiting the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, a place that offers a slightly upper hand to the batters. Pull up a chair folks, this could be a high-scoring affair.
Checking out the pitching mound, the Nationals send out Jake Irvin with his tidy ERA of 3.23 and a fairly low WHIP of 1.02 across the last 6 games. On the other hand, the Phillies trot out Cristopher Sanchez, who sports a slightly higher ERA at 3.54, but boasts a distinctively high strikeouts-per-nine-innings, 11.7 to be exact. I've seen smaller ferris wheels spinning in comparison.
For the Nationals, Alex Call and CJ Abrams stand out like a thumb in need of a band-aid. Call has a robust .333 batting average and Abrams is a speedy demon on the base paths with 4 stolen bases. And for the Phillies handshake line, Edmundo Sosa bats nearly .400 and Trea Turner is a force, with a .301 batting average and not afraid to steal bases, 6 in total.
In terms of historical matchups between these two, they've been about as evenly matched as a pair of socks. Last five games have tipped slightly in favor of the Phillies, but not the kind of tip that would make you question gravity.
The regular season records play their part too, Phillies leading the charge just slightly at 16 wins and 13 losses, while Nationals lag a bit with 13 wins and 17 losses. In the recent results, Phillies are showing some upbeat performances while Nationals have been mixed like a puzzle with some missing pieces.
Considering all these facts, tighter than a prawn's bottom, I'll have to favor the home team.
Albert’s Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies by 2