Webb Will Rebound From Poor Outing

Giants vs. Phillies, 7:00 ET

Baseball has been a solid moneymaker this season. There have been numerous 2-0 days, and even on a lot of the 1-1 days, I've put in leans toward plays that end up cashing. It won't always be easy, and there will be a streak where I can't pick a winner to save my life (probably), but while the going is good, keep it rolling. Tonight we have a Sunday Night Baseball contest, one of the few times that baseball has all to itself to showcase the sport. For this one they have the Giants and the Phillies squaring off. 

The Giants are hovering around .500 which is where they've lived for most of the past season and the beginning of this one. I mentioned last year they had this trend where they would win five in a row, then lose three, then win four, and lose six. It was odd to watch just how streaky they are. It isn't that they are overly streaky this season, it is more that they are alternating wins and losses (for the most part). They haven't had a three-game winning streak this season. It seems like they are likely to need some help if they plan to make a push for the playoffs. The team does get a lot out of their roster and have two strong arms in the rotation, so if they do find a way to sneak into the Wild Card race late in the year, they have the pieces to make a really strong run. As they currently sit, the team is fairly average. Logan Webb, tonight's starter, is one of the guys that I mentioned as a strong arm. I'm not sure what it is about him, but I'd prefer him to be the second best pitcher in my rotation as opposed to the first. Depending on how you feel about Blake Snell that could be an accurate description for him. This season, he's got a 2.98 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He wasn't great in his last outing, allowing four earned runs in 3.2 innings. Prior to that, he had four consecutive quality starts. This was his second 3.2 inning start where he allowed four or more earned runs. Everything else has been two or fewer. So, which Webb shows up tonight? The Phillies have gone 12-for-49 against him with just three extra-base hits. 

Fans hold a sign before the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies in game seven of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Oct. 24, 2023.

I mistakenly thought the Phillies would challenge the Braves for the division title last season. Even in the playoffs I thought they were going to make it back to the World Series. I was wrong about both last year and stayed away from them for futures. This season, they are off to a good start with around 10 games above .500 and they are clicking the way I expected them to last season. Their team is hitting well, pitching well, and even fielding pretty well. If the team stays healthy, there is a chance they could take the division from the Braves this season. This also could be a year where the Phillies are able to capture the World Series. That's quite a bit away from this game, but just something to think about if you are a future bettor. They are sending Taijuan Walker to the hill for his second start of the season. It wasn't a very pretty season debut as he allowed six earned runs over 6.1 innings. It really wasn't quite as bad as the numbers show as he allowed three runs in the third and then was responsible for runs that scored after he left the game. The Phillies did win the game though. Walker has done a decent enough job against the Giants in the past, holding them to just 10 hits in 42 at-bats. Two of them were for extra-bases. 

This is a game that the Giants should win. Webb is a good pitcher that rarely has two poor starts in a row. It is still early in the season so I am a bit concerned that this could be a trend of Webb pitching poorly on the road for whatever reason. However, I am willing to take a chance that the Giants can jump on the Phillies and close this one out with a win before leaving Philadelphia. I'll back the Giants through five here and avoid bullpen issues. 

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