Bet on low-scoring pitching duel in Phillies-Blue Jays game on Wednesday night

The Philadelphia Phillies host the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, August 16, and we have Phillies vs. Blue Jays predictions and picks to share.

The Phillies dropped a heartbreaker on Tuesday night, losing 2-1 after giving up runs in the sixth and eighth innings. It marked the team’s third consecutive loss.

The Phils hope to bounce back with Aaron Nola on the mound, but he’ll have to square off against the ever-dominant Kevin Gausman.

Ultimately, I’m betting both pitchers patch together solid performances on Wednesday night.

Read on for my best bet for Phillies vs. Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays have been uninspiring in the batter’s box without Bo Bichette.

The two-year defending MLB hits leader does so much for the Blue Jays, and the lineup really needs his production right now.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer are in the midst of down years, so this star-studded lineup is missing its star power.

Predictably, the Blue Jays are struggling overall. Toronto ranks 25th in team OPS against right-handed pitching over the past month (.683).

However, the Phillies aren’t far ahead, ranking 17th in team OPS against righties across the past 30 days (.711).

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The Phillies are inconsistent. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber can’t put it all together. Bryce Harper has above-average numbers but not up to his lofty standards. Brandon Marsh just hit the 10-day IL.

Nola and Gausman have their ups and downs. But at their best, these are two of MLB’s best pitchers.

They’re facing two below-average, slumping offenses on Tuesday, so I expect these All-Star pitchers to produce elite performances.

Meanwhile, these two bullpens are mostly rested, making run production in the later innings tougher.

At its best, the Phillies bullpen is the best in the Majors. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays bullpen quietly has a 2.72 ERA over the past two weeks.

Surprisingly, this is a very underrated defensive matchup.

The Blue Jays boast the best fielding team in baseball by Fielding Bible’s Defensive Runs Saved metric. While the Jays are desperately missing Bichette’s offensive production, replacement Paul DeJong is a significantly better defensive shortstop, providing Toronto a boost in that area.

The Phillies have seen a huge boost defensively now that Harper is healthy enough to play first base. It means the Phils can (mercifully) pull Schwarber from left field and put him at DH. The move means a lot, considering that Schwarber is MLB’s worst defensive outfielder.

Ultimately, I’m projecting a low-scoring pitcher’s duel between the Phillies and Blue Jays on Wednesday. Look for Gausman, Nola, and these two bullpens and defenses to shut down two “meh” lineups and wager accordingly.

Under 8 (-115) | Play to Under 7.5 (-110)

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