Sean O Sullivan (1-4, 5.03 ERA) and the Philadelphia Phillies (21-36) meet Ryan Vogelsong (4-3, 4.26 ERA) and the San Francisco Giants (32-25) in the last of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Giants won the last game 7-5 and San Francisco leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 7 and will air on CSN-BAY and CSN-PHI.
O Sullivan has a 2.25 ERA and a 1-1 record in his career against the Giants, but faces a solid San Francisco offense that’s hitting .273 on the year. Ryan Howard (.239, 19 Rs, 11 HRs, 27 RBIs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. In his career against the Phillies, Vogelsong is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA. He meets a struggling Philadelphia offense that’s batting just .235. Brandon Crawford (.292, 28 Rs, 8 HRs, 38 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Philadelphia is a +119 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Phillies have a losing record of 18-30 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -1,036. They are 1-5 as the underdog over their last 10 games. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, ranking third in the NL with an average of only 7.1 strikeouts per game.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Giants come into this game with a win percentage of .500 when playing as the favorite (15-15) and an overall money line of +353. The Giants are the top-ranked scoring offense in the NL when playing on the road, averaging five runs per game so far. The top hitting team in the league are the Giants, who have a .273 batting average. The Giants average just 7.0 strikeouts per game, one of the lowest marks in the NL. The Giants are one of the top pitching staffs in the NL, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 4.0 runs allowed per game. They also allow just 2.8 walks per game, good for fifth in the NL.
The previous two games have all gone San Francisco’s way. The Phillies will take on a right-hander (Vogelsong) in this game. They have struggled against right-handed starting pitchers this season, going 17-29. Taking the hill against the Giants will be the right-hander O Sullivan. They sport a 23-21 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – SF, O/U – Under
Notes
When the Giants play into extra innings, they have a 3-1 record. The Phillies are 2-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Giants are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Phillies have a 3-14 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Giants are 3-15. The Phillies have a 6-27 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 30th in home runs, Philadelphia has hit 34 this season. San Francisco ranks 21st with 46 home runs.
Ranking 14th, Philadelphia is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.86 per game. San Francisco ranks in the top five at second with 9.43.
Ranking 30th, Philadelphia is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.636). San Francisco ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .737.
The Giants are 16-18 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Phillies are 7-25 when they allow at least one homer.
