Aaron Nola (4-1, 3.59 ERA) and Ian Kennedy (8-11, 4.01 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (50-78) and the San Diego Padres (62-65) at Citizens Bank Park. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 28 and can be seen on CSPh and FSSD.
Nola pitched 8.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out six and walking two in a 2-0 win over the Marlins. Jeff Francoeur (.274, 27 Rs, 12 HRs, 41 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Kennedy went 6.0 innings, surrendering zero runs, striking out 10 and walking one in an 8-0 win over the Cardinals in his last outing. Matt Kemp (.266, 61 Rs, 15 HRs, 78 RBIs, 9 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
San Diego takes on Philadelphia as a -130 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Phillies have recorded an overall money line of -613 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 45-70. The Phillies have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 4.9 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.8 runs per game.
In games where it is the favorite, San Diego has a 32-24 record and an overall money line of -374. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games playing as the favorite, and have a 7-3 SU record over the same span. Offensively, the Padres have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.1 runs per game by averaging 5.3 during that stretch. The Padres have a dynamic offense, ranking fifth in the league with 340 extra base hits.
The Phillies have the edge in the season series, 3-0. The Phillies have a 38-61 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kennedy takes the mound. Nola (RHP) will be on the hill against the Padres, who have a 47-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SD, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, San Diego is 33-29, while Philadelphia is 25-37.
The Padres are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Phillies have a record of 10-28 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Phillies are 30-12. The Padres have a 46-12 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 26th in runs, Philadelphia has earned 481 this season. San Diego ranks 18th with 516 runs.
Philadelphia and San Diego both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Philadelphia sits at 28th with 292 this season and San Diego ranks 22nd with 326.
The Phillies are 32-35 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Padres are 43-24 when they hit at least one homer.
