Phillies vs. Marlins: Betting Preview and Prediction

The Monday night opener features a showdown between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins. Both teams are riding the momentum of weekend sweeps — the Marlins triumphed over the Nationals, and the Phillies bested the Blue Jays. While Philadelphia is still without the powerhouse Bryce Harper, their offensive lineup generally inspires more confidence than the youthful Marlins’. Nevertheless, the game’s odds are quite even, primarily because the Marlins have a former Cy Young Award winner pitching for them. Despite this, my pick would be Philadelphia on the money line.

Sandy Alcantara is set to pitch for the Marlins tonight. He has struggled this season while recovering his form, seldom demonstrating the dominance that once earned him the best pitcher title in the NL. Prior to his recent pair of outings, Alcantara had allowed at least 4 runs in seven consecutive starts—struggling particularly against the Phillies in early April, who forced him out in just two innings. However, his last two performances have shown improvement, though coincidentally against the league’s lowest-scoring teams, Colorado and Pittsburgh. I remain unconvinced until he delivers against stronger opponents. Mick Abel, a promising young talent, will take the mound for Philadelphia. Although still finding his footing in only his fourth start of the season, he faces a relatively forgiving Marlins lineup. Let’s support the team with the superior offense while waiting for Alcantara to truly prove himself ahead of a probable trade deadline move.

Phillies vs Marlins prediction: Philadelphia ML (-115) available at the time of publishing. This bet remains worthwhile at that line.