San Diego Padres vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction: Can Zack Wheeler, Phillies Dominate?
The Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres play the third and final game of their series. Can Zack Wheeler and the Phillies dominate this afternoon? Matt McCuen answers.
Matt McCuen - September 6, 2023, 10:02 AM EDT
7 minSan Diego Padres vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction: Can Zack Wheeler, Phillies Dominate?
The Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres will duel things out for the final game of this three-game set from Petco Park this afternoon. The two teams have split the series thus far.
Padres vs. Phillies Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: September 6, 2023
- Time: 4:10 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
San Diego Padres vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction
The Phillies will begin play sitting atop the NL Wildcard with a record of 76-62.
Bryce Harper has been the star of this Phillies lineup since returning from injury; Harper has not been able to play the outfield due to his injury but has looked great playing first base for Philly, proving how good of an athlete he is.
Kyle Schwarber has been the best power source for the Phillies. Despite batting just .192 on the season, Schwarber has blasted a team-best forty home runs primarily out of the lead-off spot for Philly.
There is no player hotter in baseball than Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. Turner is batting .339 with forty-two hits and twelve home runs over the last thirty days. Turner was put on paternity leave yesterday and will miss this afternoon’s game.
The Phillies will send righty Zack Wheeler to the bump this afternoon. Wheeler finished in the top three in Cy Young voting a season ago. Wheeler enters play with a record of 10-6 and an ERA of 3.62.
The Padres won last night's game, but they will need to break off a massive winning streak if they want to pull off a miracle and sneak into the NL Wilcard's final spot.
Fernando Tatis Jr. set the tone last night, blasting his 23rd home run of the season. Tatis is considered one of the best young players in baseball, but he has underperformed this season.
Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts have both had underwhelming seasons, which is a big reason why this team is eight games under the .500 mark.
The Padres will hand the ball to Michael Wacha this afternoon. Wacha has been lights out for the Padres this season, supporting a record of 11-2 paired with an ERA of 2.85 in 107.1 innings of work.
San Diego Padres vs. Philadelphia Phillies Pick
Despite the numbers, Wheeler is the better arm in this matchup.
Wheeler has good numbers lifetime against this Padres lineup. This current San Diego lineup is batting just .244 lifetime vs. Wheeler in 127 at-bats. Additionally, Wheeler is 7-1 pitching in day games this year.
Wacha has solid numbers vs. the current Phillies lineup, but two of Philly's best hitters have enjoyed success against Wacha.
Harper is batting .294 in 17 at-bats against Wacha, while Schwarber is batting .294 in 17 at-bats against Wacha with three home runs.
Pick: Phillies ML -115 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
MLB Odds
