Both the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres are going through losing streaks at inopportune times, as both teams were recently swept by lesser competition. Now, this weekend series between playoff contenders in the National League becomes all the more meaningful, as both teams look to avoid falling further behind their division leaders. With both teams having some of the league’s biggest stars on their roster, it will take full team efforts to win in this series.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies were in the lead in the National League East not long ago, but they have fallen four games behind the Atlanta Braves thanks to their recent run of poor form. Philadelphia has lost four straight games and seven of their last nine, which could cost them both the division title and a chance at winning a Wild Card spot. After being swept by the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phillies will need to play better to avoid a similar fate against the Padres.
For Philadelphia, the big key to this series is going to be their offense, as they have been lacking offensively over their last few games. The Phillies scored just six runs in their three games against the Diamondbacks, scoring exactly two runs in each of those three contests. Against a team like the Padres that can score in bunches, it is going to take more than two runs per game for the Phillies to break out of their funk.
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are going through some struggles of their own heading into this series against the Phillies, as they have lost three straight games and seven of their last eight. Those losses have also come against teams that have played poorly this year, in the Miami Marlins, the Colorado Rockies, and the aforementioned Diamondbacks. After being swept by the Rockies, the Padres are now 12 games out of first place in the National League West.
For the Padres, hitting hasn’t been the issue of late, but their pitching has been a huge concern instead. While the Padres have scored five runs or more in three of their last four games, they have also allowed over five runs in three of their last four contests. On Friday, the Padres hope that Blake Snell will be able to stop the bleeding and get their pitching staff back on the right track.
Snell this season has been inconsistent, going 6-4 with an ERA of 4.80. But the best of Snell is better than what most Padres pitchers have been contributing as of late. San Diego, who are currently a game up on the Reds for the final National League Wild Card spot, will hope for the best version of Snell against the Phillies.
Phillies vs. Padres Pick: Over nine runs
Both of these teams have been woefully inconsistent lately, which could result in both teams missing the playoffs entirely. But we should see some runs in this game, as both teams are throwing starters with ERAs of 4.80 or higher. Expect plenty of fireworks from both teams as they will slug it out in an attempt to end their respective losing streaks.
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