The Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks will meet on Friday, October 20th, 2023 (8:00 PM ET). This will be Game 4 of the 2023 NLCS with Philly leading the series 2-1. My Phillies vs Diamondbacks prediction is that the former will win to take a 3-1 series lead. The starting pitching is a consideration that should tilt the betting action in Philadelphia's direction.
Philadelphia vs Arizona Prediction: Latest MLB Headlines
The Arizona Diamondbacks squeaked out a win in Game 3 of their NLCS on Thursday. The final score was just 2-1 in a game where they received surprisingly effective pitching from a rookie starter, Brandon Pfaadt. The Dbacks, despite Pfaadt's strong pitching, trailed late in the game but managed to walk it off to avoid going into the dreaded 0-3 hole. That is a deficit that only one Major League Baseball team ever came back from in a seven-game series.
Starting Pitching: Cristopher Sanchez vs Joe Mantiply
Friday night will be all about the NLCS. The starters for the game will be Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies against Joe Mantiply of Arizona.
Sanchez has not appeared in a playoff game thus far this season. His September pitching was acceptable but he has not appeared in any game since September 30th now. Whenever someone is idle for that long, you can bring in the old "rust vs rest" debate. When it comes to starting pitching, it is better to be well-rested -- to a point, I think. However, three weeks off might get you a little off form. It will be interesting to see where Sanchez is at.
Joe Mantiply gets the start for Arizona in lieu of a proper starter. Mantiply started just three games during the regular season. In fact, those were the only three games he ever started in his career. For this game, he is the starter in name only in some ways. You have to think that this will be one of those games where all available arms are on hand to try to get 27 outs and a win. Yet, the Dbacks look far more desperate than Philadelphia right now.
Phillies vs Diamondbacks Prediction: Betting Tips
The Phillies at -135 look like a bargain for a moneyline bet (bet365). Sanchez is a credible starting pitcher, even for a game of this magnitude. He can be relied on to last six innings and to preserve the bullpen for key matchups in the batting order late in the game. My recommendation is to take Philadelphia to win this one at -135 (bet365), a game where they threaten to take full control of the NLCS.
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