The Philadelphia Phillies have not lost consecutive games since the opening weekend of the 2024 Major League Baseball season.

You could not read the rest of this article, use that one fact, and predict that they’re going to win the weekend three-game series with the Washington Nationals.

DraftKings agrees with that thought process, because the Phillies are -370 to win the series. That’s the second-highest series price on the odds board. The New York Yankees are -400 to win their series with the Chicago White Sox.

The Phils are scheduled to throw Zack Wheeler on Friday, Cristopher Sanchez on Saturday, and Aaron Nola on Sunday. They come into the weekend with the third-best team ERA in the majors.

The Nationals are 9.5 games back in the National League East and lost four of their last five, including two in a row to the White Sox, but they could still be competitive because of their 13th-best team ERA.


Washington’s very small case to win the series is built around its pitching rotation. Trevor Williams, Mackenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin have the three best ERAs among Nats starters. Williams has quietly been one of the best pitching stories in baseball. He’s 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA after going 6-10 with a 5.55 ERA last season.

Williams’ incredible form, combined with Nola’s strong run of starts, could make Sunday’s under the easiest bet you make in the series.

The series going into Sunday with a split is the only way I could justify the Phillies not cashing the -370, but you probably aren’t betting them at that number anyway.

As for Friday’s game, I’m obliged as a believer in these things to tell you it’s Bryson Stott bobblehead night.

Stott would be a player-prop target regardless of the bobblehead night because he has a hit in seven of his last eight games and two or more total bases in five of those games.

Irvin is probably the weakest of the three Nats starters the Phils will see this weekend. He allowed 14 runs over his last four starts and only has 16 strikeouts during that stretch.

I would expect Wheeler to rebound from his four-inning start in Miami. He has a 1.44 ERA inside Citizens Bank Park compared to his 4.09 road ERA. Wheeler has only allowed four earned runs in 25.1 home innings. All three of his double-digit strikeout games came at the Bank as well.

Wheeler’s strikeout prop sits at 6.5. I would look into some sort of Same Game Parlay with New Jersey online sports betting or PA online sports betting, involving Wheeler to have six strikeouts, Stott to record a hit or two total bases and either the Phillies money line or run line.