Phillies and Fish – Philadelphia at Florida

MLB BETTING – Game Match-Up 4/24

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Florida Marlins 7:10 ET

The sports betting season for baseball bettors is in full swing, and BetOnline.com has every pitch, catch, and crack of the bat covered! As a part of a full slate of Friday night MLB betting action, the Philadelphia Phillies (6-8, -$507) will tangle with the Florida Marlins (11-4, +$740) in South Florida. Something is clearly wrong with the Phillies right now. They have lost five out of seven games, and it’s the pitching that is royally failing them (5.9 runs per game allowed in L/7). Florida came out of the blocks like a house of fire, winning 11 of its first 12, but was cooled off in Pittsburgh with three straight losses earlier in the week. The Fish took last season’s series 10-8 with the defending champs. They’re -135 favorites tonight, while the oddsmakers set the ‘total’ at 9 under -120.

The champs will trot RHP Brett Myers to the bump on Friday night. While some of his core numbers are simply fantastic (1.22 WHIP, .237 batting average against, and 8.23 K/9), others just make Phillies bettors scratch their collective heads (5.03 ERA and a whopping seven home runs allowed). After allowing three homers in each of his first two starts, Myers only let one ball leave the yard in last week’s 8-5 loss to the Padres, but he was plagued by four walks. Last season, the road was a nightmare for Myers, as he had a 6.21 ERA and 1.61 WHIP away from the City of Brotherly Love, while going just 3-8 in 16 starts. He was even worse against the Marlins, going 1-3 with an 8.03 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in four outings. In two starts at Dolphins Stadium, Myers conceded 15 runs in just 9.1 innings of work. Needless to say, if the Phillies are making up a game in the NL East standings tonight, Myers has to have a better day at the office.

RHP Josh Johnson was touched up for six runs in 6.0 innings of work against the Nationals in his last outing, but thanks to some timely hitting and a late rally, the Fish pulled out a 9-6 win in DC. Marlins bettors are 3-0 in Johnson’s three starts this season, making them 14-3 and +$1,233 the L/17 times he took to the bump. Even after conceding the six runs, Johnsons’ numbers are still fantastic this season. He is 2-0 with a 2.91 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. His K/9 is a whopping 8.72, and his control has been pinpoint (three walks in 21.2 IP). In seven career outings against the Phils, Johnson is 3-1 with a 4.45 ERA, but last season, he went 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts.

Johnson is a legitimate Cy Young Award candidate and should be given much more respect than he is garnering from the oddsmakers. Myers isn’t anything more than a .500 pitcher. The number suggests that Marlins bettors should be afraid of their recent three-game slide, but that slump should stop tonight with an easy victory against a struggling squad.

Rose’s Recommendation: 4* Florida Marlins -135

(Rating Scale: 1* – 5*)