Arizona Diamondbacks vs Philadelphia Phillies Picks and Predictions August 9th 2024

At 9:40 PM ET, the Phillies and Diamondbacks will face off in an NL matchup. This one is taking place at Chase Field in Phoenix and has the Phillies as the favorites on the money line (-156). The Diamondbacks are 63-53 overall and they are 3rd in the NL West, while the Phillies are 1st in the NL East with a record of 69-46. Ryne Nelson is starting for the Diamondbacks, while the Phillies are going with Zack Wheeler.

Philadelphia comes into the game on a three-game winning streak, and they have won seven of their last 10. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and the Phillies will look to keep their winning ways going with Wheeler on the mound.

Philadelphia vs. Arizona Key Information

Right-hander Zack Wheeler gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Diamondbacks on the road. Wheeler has made 22 starts this year and has a record of 11-5 with a 2.77 ERA. In his last outing, he pitched eight scoreless innings, picking up the win vs. the Mariners. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight starts. Wheeler’s WHIP for the season is currently .98, and he has turned in 16 quality starts. Wheeler’s ERA at home is 2.78, compared to 4.01 on the road.

As a team, the Phillies are 5th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.3 runs per game. Overall, they are the 6th ranked home run hitting team in the league and have the 5th best team batting average in the league at .257. Philadelphia’s offense has been very good at avoiding strikeouts this season and are 5th in the league in walks.

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Over his last eight games, Kyle Schwarber has been on fire, going 15/32 with five homers and 10 RBIs. This has helped him move into the team lead in homers (27) and 2nd in RBIs (73). Alec Bohm has also been swinging a hot bat, as he is currently on a 10-game hitting streak and is batting .296 for the season.

Ryne Nelson will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he gave up four earned runs in five innings of work. In that outing vs. the Pirates, he gave up two homers. Nelson finished with a no-decision in the outing. Leading up to that start, he had pitched well, going 7 innings vs. the Nationals without giving up an earned run. Nelson has a record of 8-6 this season and an ERA of 4.65. Opposing batters are hitting .282 off Nelson this season. So far, he has made seven quality starts and is averaging 7.02 strikeouts per nine innings.

Arizona has the best offense in the league this season, averaging 5.2 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.2 runs per contest. The Diamondbacks are also among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. As a team, they are 8th in home runs and have the 6th best isolated power figure in the league.

Ketel Marte has been one of the league’s top power hitters this season, as his 29 homers are the best mark on the team and 5th in the league. He also has 80 RBIs, which is 7th best in the MLB. However, he has struggled of late, going just 3/19 in his last five games. Jake McCarthy has been swinging a hot bat, going 7/15 in his last five games.

Our lean for an over/under pick would be to take the over, as this is projected to be the 3rd highest-scoring game of the day. As for who is going to take this one straight-up, we have our lean on the Diamondbacks to pick up the win. The Phillies offense is projected to have the 5th most strikeouts among today’s teams, and Zack Wheeler isn’t expected to work very deep into the game. On the other side, Ryne Nelson has the 7th best innings pitched projection among today’s starters.

Zack Wheeler, Phillies Look to Keep Momentum Against Diamondbacks

The Philadelphia Phillies have returned quickly from a new downturn, winning four of their last five games in the wake of getting through a six-game series of failures. As they expect to expand on this force, the Phillies will confront the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night in the second challenge of a four-game series in Phoenix.

The Phillies took the opener on Thursday with a 6-4 triumph, controlled by a 14-hit execution that saw various hits from five distinct players. They’ll hope to proceed with their triumphant ways with expert right-hander Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.77 Period) on the hill, who has a background marked by progress against Arizona.

Wheeler’s Dominance Over Diamondbacks

Wheeler has been a thorn in the Diamondbacks’ side, particularly in last year’s National League Championship Series (NLCS). He went 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA in three appearances (two starts) during the NLCS, while Arizona managed to win four of the five games he didn’t start to clinch an upset and advance to the World Series.

Wheeler continued his dominance over the Diamondbacks earlier this season on June 22, when he held Arizona to just one run on two hits over seven innings in a 12-1 victory. He struck out eight batters and didn’t issue a single walk in that outing.

Overall, Wheeler has serious areas of strength for a record against Arizona, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.97 Time in nine vocation starts. While the Diamondbacks have a few hitters who have had accomplishment against him — most prominently Josh Ringer, who is 13-for-43 with four homers — others have battled, including Randal Grichuk, Joc Pederson, Corbin Carroll, and Eugenio Suarez, all of whom have batting midpoints underneath .200 against Wheeler.

Wheeler is in fine form heading into this game, having not allowed a run in two of his last three starts. In his most recent outing, he struck out nine and allowed just two hits over eight innings in a 6-0 win over the Seattle Mariners last Sunday.

Phillies’ Offense Heating Up

On Thursday, Bryce Harper drove the way for Philadelphia, arriving at base multiple times with three hits and a purposeful walk. Trea Turner conveyed a significant two-run single to break a tie, and J.T. Realmuto added a homer to seal the triumph. The Phillies’ new flood has assisted them with moving beyond a harsh stretch where they lost 12 of 15 games.

“We kinda lost ourselves for a little bit,” Turner said. “We had a stretch (of) 15 games or so where we faced a lot of good teams. I think the last three, four, five games we played better, competed harder, and the results are showing.”

This latest run has boosted Philadelphia’s winning percentage to .600, the best in the major leagues.

“We’re feeling a lot better right now than we did a week ago because we’re playing a better brand of baseball,” Realmuto added. “We’re putting together better at-bats, and our starters are giving us a chance to win every game.”

Diamondbacks Look to Rebound

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, are coming off a loss that snapped their four-game winning streak. Arizona is 14-5 since the All-Star break, indicating that they have been one of the hotter teams in the league recently. On Thursday, Jake McCarthy went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, while Eugenio Suarez also homered. Suarez has been particularly impressive, hitting 11 of his 17 home runs this season over his past 27 games.

Despite the loss, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was pleased with his team’s effort. “I was proud of our guys today,” Lovullo said. “I was proud of the way we fought.”

Ryne Nelson on the Mound for Arizona

The Diamondbacks will counter with right-hander Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.65 ERA) on Friday. Nelson has been solid in recent outings, going 3-0 with a 2.98 ERA over his last seven starts. However, he struggled in his last appearance, allowing four runs on six hits over five innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, though he escaped with a no-decision.

Nelson did not face the Phillies during their June series in Philadelphia, but he did appear in relief during Game 2 of the NLCS last season, allowing three runs on four hits while recording just two outs. In two regular-season appearances against the Phillies, Nelson is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Several Phillies hitters, including Bryson Stott, Harper, and Alec Bohm, have had success against Nelson, each batting .500 or better.

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Injury Concerns

The Diamondbacks are managing a critical physical issue, as catcher Gabriel Moreno is supposed to miss “half a month” with a left adductor strain. Arizona is looking for a subsequent assessment on Moreno’s physical issue, which he supported on Monday.

On the Phillies’ side, the group is anticipating test results for outfielder Austin Feeds, who left Wednesday’s down against the Los Angeles Dodgers with left hamstring snugness. The Phillies might need to put Roughages on the 10-day harmed list, contingent upon the seriousness of the injury.

Key Matchup in the Desert

Friday night’s down will be an essential one for the two groups. The Phillies are hoping to keep up with their new force and harden their situation as one of the association’s top groups, while the Diamondbacks expect to refocus after an extreme misfortune. With Zack Wheeler on the hill and the Phillies’ offense clicking, Philadelphia has serious areas of strength for a to keep their hot streak alive. In the interim, Arizona will depend on Ryne Nelson to convey areas of strength for an and allow their setup an opportunity to outduel Wheeler.