LA Dodgers (67-45) at Philadelphia (59-53)
When: Tuesday, August 10th 2021
Where: Citizens Bank Park,
Philadelphia, PA
Time: 7:05 ET | TV: MLB.tv
Opening Odds: Los Angeles -152/8
The Philadelphia Phillies have been treading water all season long in the race to win the National League East – until the month of August. The Phillies will try and keep their perfect month going when they begin a three-game home series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. Philadelphia has won all eight games they have played this month and saw their largest crowd in two years watch Zach Wheeler shut down the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon. The Phillies went into the weekend series a half-game behind the Mets in the division and they now own a two-game lead over the Atlanta Braves with New York pushed all the way back to third. The Phillies won again Sunday without Rhys Hoskins (groin), Didi Gregorius (elbow) and Odubel Herrera (Achilles) in the lineup. Manager Joe Girardi says that at least one or more could play Tuesday.
The Dodgers will be searching for their third straight victory after winning the final two over the weekend at home versus the Los Angeles Angels. Albert Pujols hit a pinch hit two-run home run in the 8-2 win on Sunday and Cody Bellinger added a two-run shot. For the struggling Bellinger, it was the second time this season he’s homered in consecutive games. The Dodgers still trail the surprising San Francisco Giants by four games in the National League West.
Pitchers: Dodgers – Max Scherzer (9-4, 2.75) | Phillies – Aaron Nola (7-6, 4.49)
Recently acquired Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Dodgers against a team he knows very well. He is 14-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 24 career starts against the Phillies. This will be his second start with his new club. Scherzer went seven strong innings in a win over the Houston Astros last week, allowing five hits, two runs while striking out 10.
The inconsistent Aaron Nola gets the nod for Philly in the series opener and will try and bounce back from a poor outing. Last week at Washington, Nola allowed five hits and five runs over five innings of work, but the Phillies rallied for a dramatic 7-6 win. Nola is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers.
The Phillies have a lot of momentum right now as the offense has started to click during the current winning streak. I don’t trust Nola right now with his inconsistency, so that being said, I will grab the Over in this one. These teams seem to put up the numbers at Citizens Bank Park. The over is 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings in Philly.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free MLB Picks page for today.
Pick: OVER 8.5 +105
