Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/18/2022

Time: 4:35 p.m. ET

Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, DC

Where to watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, MASN

DraftKings: Phillies -155, Nationals +135

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: NL

Phillies: 35-31

Nationals: 23-45

The Philadelphia Phillies will be coming into this game against the Washington Nationals already off to a great start. By the time you read this, the Phillies will have already played there Thursday game in the beginning of a four game series against Washington, having won 10-1 on Thursday behind another dominant offensive performance since the Phillies fired Joe Girardi just a couple of weeks ago. 

It's almost kind of insane to think what the Phillies have been able to do over these last few weeks since making the managerial change that they did. Not only have they figured out that they are a team that can hit the baseball with the best of them while also scoring an abundance of runs, but they've been able to figure it out in terms of how to win games and show why they can be a very lethal force in the National League. 

Unfortunately for the Phillies, they are in a position where they are still looking up rather and if our gaze from the New York Mets. And now I guess we can add the Atlanta Braves into that mix with the fact that they continue to win with hardly any losing insight.

But just by looking at the Phillies and how they've been able to hit the baseball as well as they have, it obviously starts with Bryce Harper. The reigning National League Most Valuable Player has gotten off to a tremendous start this season batting 317 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs. 

The Phillies go as much as Harper goes and if Harper continues to hit the baseball the way that he has things are going to start looking up for the Phillies as they enter the second half of the season. It's also helped that the Phillies have gotten great production at least in the power game from Kyle Schwarber. 

Schwarber hit two home runs on Thursday against the nationals in the victory, boosting his total to 18 which is tide for second in the entire league. Sure he's batting just 212, but when you're trying to score runs at any rate that you can, and you have a power bat that is delivering the way that Schwarber has you have to feel pretty good about yourself.

Washington is coming off a three game sweep at the hands of the mentioned defending World Series champion Braves. 

Not that it comes as any shock that the nationals have been able to be as bad as they are, but it shows the large discrepancy in this situation when you can only score nine runs in those three games and then follow it up with just one against the Phillies in the start of the series on Thursday. 

Meanwhile, in their last four games alone, Washington has given up 37 runs in this stretch obviously not very good. considering the fact now that the nationals have to play a doubleheader on Friday and then follow that up with two more on Saturday and Sunday there is a realistic chance that the nationals can completely fall off the rails during what was supposed to be a 11 game homestand that was supposed to give them something to look forward too. Unfortunately that is not even close to being the case.

It's been a down year altogether for the nationals. The only bright spot when it comes to the batting order has been Josh bell, who is hitting a shade under 300 for the season. But when your best player, your franchise superstar, Juan Soto is batting just 228, it doesn't look very good. It still boggles my mind that he has 13 home runs this season and only 28 RBI's. I don't know if that's more indictive of Soto himself or the actual talent around him, but it would not shock me to see so to try and get his way out before the trade deadline.

Given the fact that the Phillies have a chance to completely obliterate Washington in that doubleheader on Friday, it would not shock me in the least to see Philadelphia come back and destroy Washington again on Saturday. The town is discrepancy is too big, and the nationals are just not playing like a great team right now. Phillies win 9-3

Phillies are 23-17 as a favorite this season.

Phillies are 20-23 against right-handed starters this season.

Nationals are 23-55 as a home dog the past three seasons.

Phillies:
Kyle Schwarber (L) LF
Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B
Bryce Harper (L) DH
Nick Castellanos (R) RF
Didi Gregorius (L) SS
Odubel Herrera (L) CF
Alec Bohm (R) 3B
Bryson Stott (L) 2B
Garrett Stubbs (L) C
SP - Aaron Nola

Nationals:
Lane Thomas (R) LF
Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
Juan Soto (L) RF
Nelson Cruz (R) DH
Josh Bell (S) 1B
Maikel Franco (R) 3B
Luis Garcia (L) SS
Riley Adams (R) C
Victor Robles (R) CF
SP - Josiah Gray