Phillies vs. Pirates Series Betting Trends July 19-21, 2024

• The Phillies and Pirates split the series earlier in the season.
• Phillies are one of the best teams in Major League Baseball right now but two of their top starting pitchers are likely to be absent for this series. 
• Don't bet against Paul Skenes.  He's yet to have a loss so far in his rookie season.

The Phillies (62-34) hit the road in Pittsburgh (48-48) against a decent enough team to keep the line under Philadelphia -180 throughout the series.  The highest price we've seen for the Phillies on the road was -179 in San Diego on June 19 and before that, -203 on May 29 in Colorado.  Pittsburgh is no Colorado. 

The Phillies are 15-7 against Pittsburgh over their last 23 meetings, however, these teams split earlier in the season in Philadelphia.  The Phillies may be among the best teams in Major League Baseball right now but a win by Philadelphia is not guaranteed.

It is important to note that two of the Phillies top starters are expected to sit out this series as they are nursing their injuries.

Phillies vs. Cubs Power Rankings

ESPN's final power ranking checks on these teams before the break:

Phillies (Ranked No. 1)

"The Phillies lead all teams with seven All-Star selections, setting a franchise record. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were elected as starters, while starting pitchers Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez made it along with relievers Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm. The Phillies had never had six All-Star reps before, with five making it on six different occasions, most recently in 2011 (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco). Turner becomes the first Phillies shortstop to make it since Jimmy Rollins in 2005 and the first to start since Rollins in 2002. Wheeler has already said he won't pitch in the game, but Suarez says he wants to pitch. Harper just came off the injured list, but if he does start at first base, he'd be the first Phillies starter at first since John Kruk in 1993." -- David Schoenfield

Pirates (Ranked No.

"It's one of the greatest accomplishments for a young player: getting drafted one summer and then making MLB's All-Star team the next. Paul Skenes is already a star, and now the world will get to see him on one of the biggest stages. He shouldn't start the game -- that's reserved for those who have accomplished more in the first half -- but everyone needs to see him throw an inning of 100 mph fastballs. That's part of the fun of the Midsummer Classic." - Jesse Rogers

Phillies Pitching

This is the first Phillies team to have three starting pitchers with 10 or more wins ahead of the All-Star break. Ranger Suarez is among them but likey will still be out for this series as he is recovering from a back injury.

Aaron Nola (11-4, 3.38 ERA)

Nola has permitted just 20 hits by the current Pirates roster in 100 at bats.

Yasmani Grandal has had Nola's number but is not much of a threat this season, averaging just .178 with three home runs.

Pirates star Bryan Reynolds is just .133 against Nola.  He does have a homer but he's also just 2-for-15 against him.

Aaron Nola allowed one run in six innings and got the win in the Phillies’ 5-1 victory over the Dodgers on Thursday. He has won three of his last four starts.  In his one loss over that span, he allowed three runs with nine strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings versus the Marlins.

Christopher Sanchez (7-4, 2.96 ERA)

Sanchez has also had some good results against this Pirates roster, albeit with a smaller sample size of just 33 at bats. He's only permitted 7 hits and 1 RBI.

Sanchez pitched well in Wednesday evening’s victory over the Dodgers, allowing just two runs on five hits over six strong frames.  He has four wins in his last five starts.

Zack Wheeler (10-4, 2.70 ERA)

Wheeler notched his 10th victory just before the All-Star break. He, too, is not expected to start until the series against Minnesota right after this one due to a back injury.

Pirates Pitching

Paul Skenes (6-0, 1.90 ERA)

Paul who?  No matter how good the Phillies are, we probably won't want to be betting against Skenes.  He's been sensational in his rookie season.

Skenes didn’t allow a hit over seven innings while striking out 11 against the Brewers on Thursday ahead of the All Star break.

Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.46 ERA)

Skenes, Skenes, Skenes.....He's not the only solid pitcher on this team.  Keller hit 10 wins the first half of this season.

Keller lasted just three innings on Sunday against the White Sox. He allowed two earned runs, walked three, and struck out three in a no-decision.  He had a victory in his prior start. 

Keller has faced this Steelers roster in 109 at bats, permitting 37 hits and 18 RBI's as well as 7 home runs. 

Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner have both been solid against Keller, as has Bryson Stott, whose ERA is much lower than those two though.  Turner has had six hits, four RBI's and two homers in 12 appearances vs. Keller.  Schwarber is 7-for-16. 

Do consider going against Keller.