Both the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins are good enough to be NL playoff teams – but not to catch Atlanta in the NL East. Thus, it’s wild card or bust for both as they continue their huge series in south Florida on Wednesday.

Nitrobetting checks out the game in this preview. Get a complete look at the game information, team and player statistics, and the latest MLB odds. We also deliver timely betting trends and predictions that help you secure the best picks.

Phillies vs. Marlins Game Information

We're talkin' about The Fightins, right? pic.twitter.com/dBQIVPd5ZJ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 2, 2023

• When: Wednesday, August 2, 2023, 6:40 PM ET
• Where: LoanDepot Park, Miami, FL
• TV: NBCSP, BSFL
• Radio: WIP 94.1 FM (Phillies) // 940 WINZ AM (Marlins)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Odds: Phillies (-141) // Marlins (+113)

READ MORE: White Sox vs. Rangers MLB Odds, Preview and Prediction – August 3, 2023

Why bet on the Philadelphia Phillies?

This will mark Garrett’s fifth career start against the Phillies. He’s 2-1 record with a 4.26 ERA (19.0/9) with 14 strikeouts in the first four. He last faced Philadelphia on July 8 at loanDepot Park and earned the win, allowing 3 runs (1 home run) on 6 hits over 5.0 innings.

Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm surely was sad to see July go. He was the best hitter on his team that month, batting.337 (30-for-89) with a .916 OPS in July. Since June 3, the Phillies rank 2nd in the National League and 4th in MLB with a .282 AVG with runners in scoring position. Bohm has been a big part of that. Overall with RISP this season, Bohm is hitting .358, which ranks 6th in the National League. He’s slashing .287/.343/.425 with 10 homers, 66 RBI, 45 runs scored and four stolen bases.

Closer Craig Kimbrel saved Monday’s win and has pitched to a stellar 0.82 ERA over his last 22 innings — he’s allowed just three earned runs since the start of June. Overall, his ERA is down to 3.13 with a 0.96 WHIP and 65:18 K:BB across 46 innings this season while converting 18 of 19 save opportunities.

It’s Zack Wheeler (8-5) on the mound Wednesday for the Phils. Wheeler earned the win last Friday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over 6.2 innings against the Pirates. He struck out 11.

“That was classic Wheeler,” teammate Kyle Schwarber said, “where he’s attacking the zone, he’s getting outs on the ground, and he’s getting strikeouts and swings and misses. When you get an outing like that from a guy, you’ve got a pretty good chance to win a baseball game.

Wheeler completed at least six innings for a fourth straight game and recorded his third outing of the season with at least 11 strikeouts. He has a 2.70 ERA, 33 strikeouts and two walks in his last four starts. The right-hander overall has a solid 3.74 ERA and a stellar 145:24 K:BB across 21 starts (125 innings) in 2023.

Wheeler doesn’t have a decision in two starts this year vs. the Marlins with a 3.00 ERA and is 10-4 with a 2.46 ERA in 21 career starts against them.

Why bet on the Miami Marlins?

The Marlins enter the month of August in a postseason position for just the 4th time in club history, joining the 1997, 2003, and 2016 teams, and with a winning record at this point for the 9th time.

The Marlins got a huge piece of their offense back in infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm for Monday’s loss to Philadelphia as he was activated and in the lineup. Chisholm had been sidelined since July 2 with the oblique strain. He’s one of best base-stealers in the National League and had a stolen base Monday. He did get Tuesday off.

Miami has made two trades in recent days to improve the bullpen in getting Jorge Lopez from the Twins and David Robertson from the Mets – Robertson likely will close most games now. Outfielder Jesus Sanchez is a bit banged up. Sanchez appeared off the bench for the Marlins in Monday’s series opener against Philadelphia, but he hasn’t started a game since last Friday. It’s not clear the issue for Sanchez, who had an.828 OPS with three homers and 10 RBI across 19 games in July.

It’s lefty Braxton Garrett (5-3, 4.08 ERA) on the mound Wednesday. Garrett did not factor into the decision last Friday, allowing one unearned run on five hits and one walk over six innings in a 6-5 victory over the Tigers. He struck out six. Garrett didn’t allow an earned run versus the Tigers after surrendering 16 over his previous four starts. Garrett has shown flashes of being an elite big-league pitcher and already has set a career high with 111 strikeouts this year.

Coming into the season, Garrett was actually the odd man out of the rotation after the Marlins decided to go with Sandy Alcantara, Jesus Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, and Johnny Cueto to round out the starting five. Rogers is on the IL currently and Cueto returned from it not long ago. Garrett has improved thanks to the implementation of a new cut fastball, which he is throwing 18.2% of the time. This single pitch has a Whiff% of 29.5% and a lowly .236 wOBA. The addition of this pitch has helped the effectiveness of his slider with the disparity of 5 mph between the two pitches.

Phillies vs. Marlins Betting Trends

• Phillies are 5-2 SU in the last 7 games.
• Philadelphia is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games on the road.
• The total went under in 6 of Philadelphia’s last 8 games against an opponent in the National League.
• Miami is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games.
• Marlins are 3-8 SU in the last 11 games when playing at home against Philadelphia.
• The total went under in 7 of Miami’s last 10 games.

Phillies vs. Marlins Betting Prediction

Phillies 4, Marlins 3.

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