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Phillies Finding New Ways to Win, and it’s a Beautiful Thing. Next up: The A’s
By Chris Wright
Published:
Keep it simple. When the infield’s back with a runner on third, play pepper with the second baseman and drive in a run.
That’s what I should have done last night. Instead of keeping it simple and sticking with the moneyline, I got greedy and went with the Phillies -1.5 runline. Might as well have popped up a 2-0 get-me-over fastball to short.
Needless to say, it worked out much better for the Phillies.
The Phillies beat Miami 1-0, improving to 6-1 since Don Mattingly started writing out the lineup. Aaron Nola pitched better than he has all year. The Phillies are now 7-3 in their past 10 games — their hottest stretch of the season.
Tonight, a new challenge: The AL West-leading Athletics visit the Bank for game 1 of a 3-game series.
Cristopher Sanchez (2-2, 2.90 ERA) is on the bump for the Phillies. He’ll go against Athletics veteran Luis Severino (2-2, 4.46).
Can Sanchez stifle the Athletics and lengthen the hot streak to 8-2 in a 10-game stretch?
Let’s break it down and deliver our best bets for Athletics vs. Phillies on Tuesday night.
Athletics vs Phillies Odds
The graphic above shows the best available odds, which are subject to change
Phillies vs Athletics Best Bets & Predictions
Best Bet: Under 9 Runs (-110 at Bet365)
If you are hunting for an offensive clinic at Citizens Bank Park tonight, you might want to look elsewhere.
The Phillies are playing better, but they’re still prone to scoring droughts.
Last night, Bryce Harper provided the game’s only run with a towering solo shot — his 7th of the season. Harper had 3 of the Phillies’ 7 hits. This is still and offense that scored 3 or fewer runs in 4 of the past 8 games.
They’re averaging just 4.00 runs per game at home. On the flip side, the Athletics are scraping together just 3.78 runs per game on the road. Combine those two numbers, and you get exactly 7.78 runs. Asking these two lineups to eclipse a 9-run total feels less like a safe bet and more like trying to find street parking in Clifton Heights on a Friday night.
The situational betting angles completely back up this offensive slump. Over their last 10 games, the Athletics have cashed the Under 60.00% of the time, while the Phillies are sitting at a 50.00% Under rate in that exact same stretch. Until the high-priced superstars in red pinstripes remember how to work an at-bat and consistently put the ball in play, banking on a sudden offensive explosion is poor bankroll management. Take the Under, sit back, find yourself a PA casino sign up bonus, and enjoy a masterclass in leaving runners stranded.
Pick #2: Phillies Moneyline (-188 at FanDuel)
Say this for the Phillies: They’re finding different ways to win. During this 10-game heater, they’ve twice won in extras, they’ve won 7-0 and 1-0. They’re 4-0 in 1-run games over this stretch. Bottom line: They’re playing with the confidence you’d expect from a team expected to contend for World Series titles.
With Sanchez getting the ball, expect them to find a way to keep it going tonight.
Phillies Player Prop Picks & Predictions
I took the collar last night on the props. Swung and missed more times than Schwarber. Time to bounce back …
Bryce Harper Over 1.5 Total Bases (+104 DraftKings)
Thankfully for the Phillies, Harper is doing his job. Last night, he was the offense. He has casually racked up 67 total bases through his first 35 games this season, practically averaging this prop line on his own. Bolstered by an .881 OPS and 7 home runs, Harper is one of the lone bright spots in a lineup that has seen its share of hard times. Asking him to smack a double or slap a couple of opposite-field singles against a mediocre pitching staff isn’t just a reasonable analytical angle—it’s the bare minimum for a guy of his caliber.
Cristopher Sánchez Over 6.5 Pitcher Strikeouts (-129 DraftKings)
Sánchez has an elite 11.16 K/9 rate, sitting down 50 batters in just 40.1 innings of work. Tonight, he draws a highly favorable matchup against a lineup that struggles heavily with plate discipline. Expecting Sánchez to fan 7 guys from this aggressively strikeout-prone roster is backed by solid situational trends and his sheer ability to locate breaking pitches in the zone.
Nick Kurtz Over 1.5 Strikeouts (+115 theScore)
Let’s stick with the strikeout narrative for a minute. If Sánchez is going to feast, someone has to walk back to the dugout. Enter Nick Kurtz. The guy has already struck out a staggering 50 times in just 119 at-bats this season. When you’re facing a pitcher with an 11.16 K/9 rate, taking a swing-and-miss prop on a batter with a nearly 42.02% strikeout rate is just common-sense betting.
Max Muncy Over 0.5 Strikeouts (-150 BetMGM)
Rounding out our card is another fade on a visiting batter. Max Muncy has whiffed 37 times in his first 92 at-bats. Much like Kurtz, he is heavily contributing to the offensive void that makes the Under such a tantalizing play today. With the way off-speed pitches and the occasional shift have been baffling this roster, grabbing a heavily supported strikeout prop on Muncy is an analytical no-brainer to anchor your slips.
Stat of the Day …
If the Phillies win tonight, they’ll be 8-2 in their past 10 games. They had 5 such stretches of 8-2 or better in 2025.
| Team | W | Start Date |
|---|---|---|
| Phillies | 9-1 | May 14-23 |
| Phillies | 9-1 | Sept 4-13 |
| Phillies | 8-2 | April 26-May 7 |
| Phillies | 8-2 | June 9-19 |
| Phillies | 8-2 | Aug 1-11 |
Chris Wright is a 30-time APSE award-winning MLB, NBA and college editor with previous stints at the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer. He vacationed at the Vet, believes Chase Utley is a HOFer and moved to Clearwater to watch the Phillies year-round. His magazine portfolio includes working as a writer and editor at Baseball America.