Phillies not favored Wednesday vs. Rays despite Taijuan Walker’s recent run
The Phillies are going for their 11th consecutive road win Wednesday night vs. the Rays. Here's a look at the odds.
Taijuan Walker was stellar in 36 June innings for the Phillies. He posted a 1.50 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP while striking out 34 batters. The Phillies went 5-1 in those six starts.
Walker starts for the first time in July on Wednesday at Tropicana Field, where the Phillies will try for their 11th straight road victory against a team that’s starting an opener with a 5.28 ERA.
Advantage Phillies? Not according to oddsmakers.
Here’s a look at Phillies-Rays odds for Wednesday night (first pitch 6:40 p.m.).
Odds are courtesy of Caesars, current at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Phillies vs. Rays odds
Money line: Phillies +100; Rays -120
Run line: Phillies +1.5 (-205); Rays -1.5 (+170)
Total: Nine runs
The Phillies were even money Wednesday morning at Caesars. Seems like a bargain when considering the pitching matchup through the first inning or two, and given Walker’s recent dominance.
Zack Littell will open for the Rays, who acquired him off waivers in May from Boston. The righty has appeared in 10 games and has a 5.28 ERA in 12⅓ innings. Wednesday night will be the second time the Rays use Littell as an opener.
Last time, on Thursday in Arizona, Littell pitched two shutout innings before giving way to Yonny Chirinos, who has fared much better when being brought out of the bullpen than when starting a game. That day, Chirinos allowed one run on seven hits in six innings of relief work during a 6-1 Rays win. That appearance followed a two-game stretch in which Chirinos made two starts and was tagged for 13 runs (11 earned) in 10 innings.
Which Chirinos will we get? Will Walker regress?
Those are the big questions Wednesday night, along with ... will the Phillies’ star players bust out their bats?
» READ MORE: Phillies delay top prospect Andrew Painter throwing to hitters after he felt ‘a little stiff’
Phillies playoff odds improve
We wrote last week about the Phillies’ playoff odds after a recent run of better baseball pushed them three games above .500. They entered Wednesday six games above .500 and in the last wild-card spot in the National League.
The 3-1 win Tuesday in Florida pushed the Phillies into a playoff spot.
Last week, DraftKings priced the Phillies at -115 to make the playoffs. That number was up to -180 Wednesday morning. The Phillies also have the fourth-shortest odds to win the NL. DraftKings had them at +1000, behind Atlanta (+160), Los Angeles (+310), and Arizona (+900).