Phillies vs. Brewers: A High-Stakes Showdown Poised to Ignite the Scoreboard!

Playoff matchups sneak up on us sometimes, don’t they? Here we are, late in the season, and although both the Phillies and Brewers have already punched their tickets to the postseason, the electric tension you’d expect just isn’t there. But hey, does a lack of high stakes really mean a lack of excitement? I think not. The Phillies, comfortably perched atop the NL East, are leaning on a diminished Aaron Nola, who’s definitely wrestling with some post-injury demons. Meanwhile, the Brewers—yes, those surprise darlings of the National League—are riding a tear that’s put them in pole position, even if Jose Quintana isn’t exactly the kind of ace you’d expect to close out the regular season. This one’s shaping up to be less about locking up leads and more about who can make the most of their struggles—guess that’s what makes baseball unpredictable and, frankly, a bit thrilling. Expect fireworks and runs aplenty tonight. Ready to see who rises? LEARN MORE.

Phillies vs. Brewers, 7:40 ET

It isn’t overly common that we get a potential playoff matchup this late in the season. Playoff baseball is my favorite type of baseball, and despite the fact that both of these teams will make the playoffs this year, this won’t have the same hype. There just isn’t enough meaning on these games for it to be as exciting. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t get an entertaining matchup and a fun game to bet on. Today, we are going to place a bet on the game between the Phillies and the Brewers. 

The Phillies are going to take the NL East once again. They haven’t fully locked it up or anything, but they have a 5.5 game lead in the division, and they should find a way to take the title. They will also likely have the #2 seed in the playoffs. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing in the long run as I usually think that Wild Card teams have to keep playing hard down the stretch, and the bye week teams tend to struggle to get back into the swing of things. The Dodgers did have a bye last year and won the World Series, so maybe it doesn’t matter. Today, Aaron Nola takes the mound. He has had a rough season, but he was also injured. Overall, he is 3-7 for the season with a 6.47 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has only made three starts since he returned from injury and he has allowed 13 earned runs in 14.1 innings. His first start was very bad as he allowed six earned runs over 2.1 innings. He did have one quality start, but still allowed four earned in his last outing over six innings. The Phillies need him to regain his form. Overall, the Brewers are hitting just .229 against Nola in 109 at-bats.

The Brewers are the best team in the National League which is probably a surprise statement for most people. I am not sure anyone expected them to be this good. I picked them to win the NL Central before the season started, but even I am surprised at just how good the Brewers are this year. They have been awesome since essentially the last week of May. On May 24th they lost to the Pirates, and were three games under .500. Since that point, the Brewers have gone 60-26. That’s a great stretch of baseball, but it still won’t mean anything if the team sputters out in the playoffs. Today, they send out Jose Quintana, a guy that is unlikely to get any playoff starts. For the season, Quintana is 10-5 with a 3.69 ERA, and a 1.29 WHIP. He has struggled in Milwaukee this season as he has a 5.05 home ERA compared to a 2.57 road one. He had a nice run in five of his six starts last month. The worst one came in the last game of the season as the Diamondbacks scored six runs off of him in just 3.2 innings. Quintana faced the Phillies earlier in the year on the road and allowed two earned runs in five innings. Overall, they are hitting .226 against him in 248 at-bats. 

It is very hard to back Nola in any situation at the moment, he hasn’t looked very sharp since returning. The Phillies are always a team that can explode against any pitcher as well. Quintana looked rough in his last start, and usually rebounds well, but he is not pitching well at home. This is a game where we should see some runs. I’m going to back the over 8.5 runs for this game. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024