In the second of a three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (54-63) and the Colorado Rockies (56-60) at Citizens Bank Park, Jerad Eickhoff (7-12, 3.78 ERA) and Tyler Anderson (4-3, 3.04 ERA) get the start. The Phillies won the last game 10-6, and Philadelphia leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 13 and will air on CSPh and RTRM.
In his most recent outing, Eickhoff pitched 6.0 innings, giving up five runs (one unearned) and striking out five in a 6-5 victory over the Padres. Ryan Howard (.195, 26 Rs, 17 HRs, 40 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 5 with two runs, one home run, and five RBIs. The Rockies were unsuccessful the last time Anderson pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out five and walking three in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. Trevor Story (.272, 67 Rs, 27 HRs, 72 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one RBI.
Philadelphia, a +110 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Colorado. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at eight runs. When playing as the underdog, the Phillies have a 36-50 record and overall money line at +473. Philadelphia has averaged 5.2 runs per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 3.7. As for the pitching staff, the Phillies don’t give up many walks to opposing batters at Citizens Bank Park, ranking second in the NL with only 2.6 walks allowed per home game. An area where the Phillies are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 9.2 K’s per home game.
Switching to the opposing dugout, the Rockies come into this game with a win percentage of .568 when playing as the favorite (25-19) and an overall money line of +172. They sport the top-ranked offense in the NL, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Colorado is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 402 extra base hits. The Rockies are one of the top NL pitching staffs on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of three runs allowed per away game. They also average just 7.9 hits allowed per road game, fifth-best in the NL.
The Phillies are 3-2 against the Rockies this season. The Phillies will take on a left-hander (Anderson) in this game and have a 13-13 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Rockies will be the right-hander Eickhoff. They sport a 42-40 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – COL, O/U – Over
Notes
Colorado has won 44% (24-30) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Philadelphia has won 48% (26-28) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Rockies managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Phillies who are heading in with a 5-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rockies are 43-11. The Phillies have a 36-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 28th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 441 this season. Colorado ranks in the top five at second with 609.
Ranking 28th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 293 this season. Colorado ranks in the top 10 with 372.
The Phillies are 45-33 when they hit at least one home run. The Rockies perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 43-30 record.
