The Philadelphia Phillies (55-47) begin a 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (45-57) on Friday at PNC Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Phillies vs. Pirates odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; Phillies were 6-1 vs. the Pirates in 2022
The Phillies defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Wednesday to give them 2 consecutive wins. Philadelphia is 10 games behind the Atlanta Braves for 1st place in the NL East, but is currently 1 of the 3 NL Wild-Card teams.
The Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 on Wednesday. Pittsburgh has alternated wins and losses in its last week and it sits in last place in the NL Central.
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Phillies at Pirates projected starters
RHP Zack Wheeler vs. RHP Mitch Keller
Wheeler (7-5, 3.88 ERA) makes his 21st start. He has a 1.14 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9 and 10.2 K/9 in 118 1/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K in a 1-0 road loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday
- 2023 road stats: 5-3 in 10 starts with a 3.72 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 10.6 K/9 in 58 IP
- Career stats vs. Pirates: 3-0 in 5 starts with a 2.30 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9 in 31 1/3 IP
Keller (9-6, 4.01 ERA) makes his 22nd start. He has a 1.20 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9 and 9.6 K/9 in 128 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 5 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 7 K in a 7-5 road loss against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday
- 2023 home stats: 5-2 in 9 starts with a 3.61 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 8.2 K/9 in 57 1/3 IP
- Career vs. Phillies: 0-2 in 3 starts with a 7.80 ERA, 1.87 WHIP, and 7.8 K/9 in 15 IP
Phillies at Pirates odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:22 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Phillies -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Pirates +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Phillies -1.5 (+105) | Pirates +1.5 (-125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Phillies at Pirates picks and predictions
Prediction
Phillies 5, Pirates 3
Moneyline
With these teams having different outlooks on the playoffs, I’ll side with the PHILLIES (-160) on the road Friday. Philadelphia has won 27 of its last 42 games, and it has won 8 of the last 10 meetings overall.
Run line/Against the spread
PHILLIES -1.5 (+105) has solid value as the Pirates are looking to be sellers at the trade deadline. The Pirates have lost by multiple runs in 8 consecutive losses and Keller has struggled in recent starts.
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Over/Under
UNDER 8.5 (-115) is the lean. Wheeler shouldn’t have much trouble shutting down a Pirates squad that owns the 4th-worst wOBA (.286) and wRC+ (77) against right-handed pitching since the start of July.
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