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Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies MLB Preview & Free Pick

2012 Washington vs Philadelphia Betting Preview

The Phillies came into the season as the big favorite in the National League East, but they sit in last place in the highly competitive division right now.

Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: Washington (Zimmerman) vs. Philadelphia (Halladay)
Date/Time: May 22, 7:05 p.m. EST
MLB Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Philadelphia (-150) Washington (+140)
Runline: Phillies -1.5 (+155) Nationals +1.5 (-175)
Total: 6.5

Matchup | Preview

Washington is half a game behind the Braves for first place in the division.

Gio Gonzalez shut down the Phillies as the Nationals won 2-1 in the series opener Monday night. Runs should be at a premium again in this one.

Washington has done it all year with terrific pitching. The Nationals have the lowest team ERA in the majors. Washington’s staff has a sparkling ERA of just 2.91. They also have the most strikeouts at 372. The Nationals have gotten 29 quality starts from their starting pitchers.

The offense has struggled all season, but that is largely due to injuries. Michael Morse and Jayson Werth are two of the team’s best offensive players, but they are both on the disabled list now. Bryce Harper has given this team a nice infusion of energy. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Adam LaRoche is having a big bounce back season.

LaRoche is batting .304, and he leads the team with 31 RBI’s.

Roy Halladay will be on the mound for the Phillies in this contest. Halladay hasn’t been quite as dominating as normal this year, but he has still been solid. He has a 3.22 ERA and a 4-3 record. The Phillies are 19th in the majors averaging just 4.00 runs per game.

They are seventh in batting average, but the team has struggled to come up with big hits with runners in scoring position. Carlos Ruiz is having a career year for the Phillies. Ruiz is hitting .347 with 7 homers and 29 RBI’s.

His career high in home runs is nine, so he has really found his power stroke this year. Placido Polanco has been heating up of late, but the team needs more out of Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.

The total here is set extremely low, but there is a good reason for that. Jordan Zimmerman is a very good pitcher for the Nationals, and we know Halladay is one of the best.

Free MLB Pick: Under 6.5

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By Kyle Hunter

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