Baltimore Orioles vs. Philadelphia Phillies Pick – August 12, 2020

After a wild game last night in Philly, the Orioles are back at Citizens Bank Park aiming for their fourth victory in a row. The Phillies have lost three out of four and are hoping to avoid falling further behind the rest of the pack in the NL East.

Those interested in betting tonight’s matchup, perhaps this Orioles vs. Phillies prediction will give you somewhere to start.  

The best baseball betting sites aren’t buying into the data. Otherwise, you’d be studying an Orioles vs. Phillies prediction post that involves the Birds listed as the favorites. Baltimore currently has the better record, they have the better run differential, and here’s the stat that really sticks out that makes betting on the O’s an interesting proposition.

The Orioles are an AL-best 6-2 against the spread when it comes to covering the run line on the road.

With that being said, it’s a bit naïve to think that Brandon Hyde’s club can continue playing at such a high level given how limited their roster is. The Orioles payroll is the cheapest in the league and more than three times lower than the one in Philadelphia.

Wade LeBlanc heads out to the bump for Baltimore after getting rocked by the Marlins in his last start. On August 6^th, the 36-year-old southpaw surrendered seven hits and six earned runs and was unable to complete four innings. LeBlanc has now given up four homers and 11 runs in 14.1 innings of work.

The Phillies seem to be in a “safer” situation as Zach Eflin looked sharp against the Yankees’ lineup last Thursday. Eflin is looking to solidify his spot in the rotation and a solid outing tonight at home could go a long way in shoring that up.

As far as comparing the batting orders go, the Phillies have the edge here as well. Credit to Hanser Alberto and Renato Nunez for putting together tremendous starts to the 2020 campaign, but Philly has a lot more pop in their lineup.

J.T. Realmuto is in a nice rhythm and Bryce Harper is starting to heat up. Bryce has now launched homers in back-to-back games after this opposite-fielder to tie the game in the 8^th inning last night.

Bryce Harper: CLUTCH.

(MLB x @BankofAmerica) pic.twitter.com/d6MRGW3C91

— MLB (@MLB) August 12, 2020

Also worth noting, Baltimore sending a lefty to the mound allows Joe Girardi to turn Rhys Hoskins around to the right side. The Phillies first baseman is hitting .300 against lefties this season compared to just .179 versus righties.

Back Philadelphia in this Orioles vs. Phillies prediction. And I’m willing to lay the 1.5 runs and get in at -105 as opposed to coughing up -183 on the money line.

After outstanding hitting has carried Baltimore to three straight wins, it’s only natural to expect some regression on Wednesday. On the flip side, the Phillies hitters are getting more and more comfortable now that they’re in the swing of playing games every day.

A home game against a reeling Wade LeBlanc is the perfect recipe for Philly batters to continue trending in the right direction.