Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies face off against the Washington Nationals in a NL East divisional matchup on Friday night.
With less than 40 games remaining in the regular season, Zack Wheeler only has a handful of appearances left to make his case for winning the NL Cy Young. Heading into Friday night, Wheeler has the opportunity to strengthen his claim for the pitchers award as he faces off against the Washington Nationals who struggle with making contact and getting on base at a consistent rate.
With fifteen games taking place on Friday, there are plenty of prop bets and markets to wager on which you can read a detailed breakdown of them below.
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Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals (6:45pm, EST)
Zack Wheeler Over 7.5 Strikeouts: (-114) at FanDuel Sportsbook
After narrowly winning the NL Cy Young last year, Zack Wheeler finds himself in a familiar position as he currently has the second shortest odds to win the award this season. Should Paul Skenes fall into a cold stretch of play or suffer an injury, then expect Wheeler to overtake the betting favorite as the Philadelphia Phillies ace is averaging an ERA of 2.68, a FIP of 2.92, and a NL leading WHIP of 0.926.
Wheeler’s ability to generate Whiffs has played a major role in his success this season as he also averages less than one Hit Allowed and more than one Strikeout per Inning Pitched. In a NL East divisional matchup against the Washington Nationals, expect Wheeler to continue to generate Strikeouts at a high rate as he faces off against an offense who ranks below league average in Contact Rate.
Washington Nationals First Five Innings Team Total Under 1.5: (-135) at BetMGM Sportsbook
With Wheeler projected to thrive, the Nationals offense will continue to underwhelm in their efforts of getting into scoring position as their lineup ranks below league average in On Base Percentage and in Total Runs Scored. Especially with the Phillies back end reducing the amount of contact variance in Wheeler’s starts as their defense ranks near the top of the board in Fielding Percentage.
Miami Marlins vs Boston Red Sox (7:10pm, EST)
Sandy Alcantara Under 4.5 Strikeouts: (-125) at FanDuel Sportsbook
Since returning from injury, Sandy Alcantara has struggled to round back into Cy Young winning form as the Miami Marlins pitcher is averaging an ERA of 6.55 and nearly two runners on base per inning. His low Strikeout Rate leaves him vulnerable to high variance outings, specifically against offenses who excel at making contact.
Unfortunately for Alcantara, he faces off against the Boston Red Sox who possess arguably one of the best offenses in the league. As of writing, the Red Sox rank top-6 in Team Total Hits, On Base Percentage, Slugger Percentage, and in Strikeout Rate. For some more exposure, escalator bet Alcantara’s Strikeout prop by placing smaller wagers on his alternate unders at the best available odds across multiple books.
Alex Bregman Over 1.5 Total Bases: (-105) at Caesars Sportsbook
Alex Bregman has been one of the more consistent batters in the Red Sox lineup as he heads into Friday night’s contest averaging over one Hit per game, a .299 Batting Average, and a .921 OPS. With Alcantara struggling with his command, expect Bregman to continue to generate Hits at a high rate and consistently get on base to help clear the over on his Total Bases prop.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies (8:40pm, EST)
Arizona Diamondbacks First Five Innings Team Total Over 3.5: (+100) at BetMGM Sportsbook
It has been a miserable year for Colorado’s Tanner Gordon as the Rockies pitcher is averaging an ERA of 8.37, a WHIP of 1.890, and a FIP of 4.55. His low level of play can be pointed towards his struggles with avoiding contact as Gordon is also averaging more than one Hit Against per Inning Pitched.
Against Arizona, expect Gordon to continue to underwhelm as he faces off against a Diamondbacks offense who ranks above league average in Contact Rate, Total Runs Scored, and in On Base Percentage. Especially with the Rockies back end failing to mask Gordon’s struggles on the mound as their defense ranks 30th overall in Defensive Efficiency and 29th in Fielding Percentage.
About the author
Kody Malstrom
Kody Malstrom is a professional sports bettor and sports betting journalist with six years of experience covering a vast majority of sports. He covers football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and the UFC in written and video form.
Born and raised in Michigan, Kody is a Detroit sports fan who spends all of his Sundays in the fall rooting for the Detroit Lions and Saturdays watching as much College Football as possible. In the winter, he shifts his focus to the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons while simultaneously rooting for his North Carolina Tar Heels.
When he is not staring at betting markets, you can find Kody at the beach or snowboarding down a mountain, depending on the time of the year.
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