The Giants And Phillies Have Great Pitching Matchup

Giants vs. Phillies, 6:45 ET

We've reached another getaway day. There was a tweet from someone last week that was talking about blinding betting teams that were down 0-2 in a series and taking them to win the third game. I'm not sure that is a great strategy to blindly bet, but I also don't really hate it either. It is at least a good way for you to start a handicap. We've got a good getaway day here as we have the Giants taking on the Phillies. 

The Giants are off to a very good start. I mean what is in the water in the NL West? If they don't have four playoff teams I think I might be a bit surprised. Just kidding. At some point having to face each other constantly will allow other teams to get in the mix, but the Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Giants, might be some of the best teams in the league. The team success has been great, but it is founded mostly on the pitching. Their offense has looked good lately, with five or more runs in four of the past five, and eight or more runs in three of those games. The pitching has been great as well with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Today, Robbie Ray takes the mound for the Giants. After today, Ray will have made half as many starts this year as he has in his past two years combined. In the first three Ray starts, he has covered 15.1 innings and allowed three or fewer runs in each of them. He has struggled with control in his past two games, issuing nine walks in 10 innings, so that is a bit of a concern. Ray has not been great against some Phillies, but very good against others. He has held JT Realmuto and Trea Turner to just four hits in 27 at-bats. 

Apr 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The Phillies are not off to a hot or cold start, they are just kind of average to this point in the year. They have been better at home than on the road, but that is fairly normal for most teams. The offense isn't looking too sharp to start this season for the Phillies. Philadelphia is hitting just .236 for the season, and they've scored roughly four runs per game which isn't terrible, but they still need more success. Prior to Tuesday's game, they only scored eight runs in five games. The pitching for Philly has been pretty good, but one person who has struggled to start the season is Aaron Nola. Nola makes the start today and he has an 0-3 record with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He does have on quality start, and it came at home. Nola has been pretty good against most Giant hitters over his career. 

There are some pitching matchips that jump off the page, and this one seems to qualify. I'm impressed with how well Robbie Ray has thrown this season. Although it isn't a ton of games, Ray looks really sharp. I also think that Nola's numbers are a bit misleading. His starts haven't been terrible overall. I think Nola can make a difference and should navigate through the Giants lineup. I don't have a good feel for a side, but I'll play the first five innings under. 

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