Phillies vs Giants: Philadelphia Is No Stranger to Slow Starts

• The Phillies are 9-13 on the road
• Both teams coming off away series 
• This will be the first of five games between the two clubs in 2023

Two teams struggling to stay afloat in the National League will battle on Monday when the Giants return home to host the Phillies. San Francisco and Philadelphia are both off to disappointing starts. The Phillies are 20-20 while the Giants are 17-23, but .500 at home. If either team has playoff aspirations, they must start winning sooner rather than later. It’s impossible to win a division this early, but it’s possible to be removed from playoff contention. The first pitch from Oracle Park is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET, with the Giants being slight favorites on the moneyline. 

Phillies vs Giants Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Phillies vs Giants Picks 

The Phillies have a slightly better record than the Giants, but San Francisco has a great chance to get on track in this series. Even though Philadelphia has been winning as of late, San Francisco has a massive pitching advantage in this game. This should make the difference in a contest with two questionable offenses. The Giants will be supported by the home crowd and pick up a narrow victory on Monday night. 

• PICK: Giants ML (-116)

Phillies vs Giants Predictions 

Home favorites have been very profitable this season, so the trends say to lean toward the Giants. San Francisco is comparable to Philadelphia in every aspect of the game. The Phillies have scored 173 runs compared to the Giants, with 172. The Phillies have been better at spraying the ball over the diamond, but San Francisco has hit 19 more homers than their Monday opponent. 

Inconsistent offenses are common in MLB, which requires the pitching matchup to take precedence when placing bets on the action. Bailey Falter will throw for the Phillies, and he still hasn’t won this season. He is 0-6 with a 5.75 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Over 36 innings, he has allowed 42 hits and only has 26 strikeouts. 

Falter has limited velocity and hangs breaking balls, which doesn’t give us the confidence to take the Phillies on the moneyline. Alex Wood, a former All-Star, will pitch for the Giants. He only has 11 innings this season, but he does have a 2.45 ERA in that span with over one strikeout per inning. Walks are always an issue with Wood, but he keeps the ball down in the zone, and he still hasn’t allowed a homer yet in 2023.

Wood should shine bright in this matchup as he continues to adjust back to being on an MLB mound. We like the Giants to step up at the plate and put up enough runs to prevail on Monday. 

Philadelphia Phillies Preview

The Phillies have won five of their past six, which was needed after a terrible losing streak. The team lost six straight contests before beginning their brief winning streak. The Phillies are too talented to be .500 at this point in the season. They’ve been through some tough times, losing Rhys Hoskins before the season and having Bryce Harper start the season on the IL. However, Harper is back, and his presence has given this team some life. 

Philadelphia is no stranger to slow starts, as they fired Joe Girardi in the first portion of the 2022 season. After they made the managerial switch to Rob Thomson, Philadelphia went all the way to the World Series. The team is talented enough to win, but they need to be better in all aspects of the game. If they can get to Wood, it would be a massive confidence boost for the club. 

San Francisco Giants Preview

The San Francisco Giants don’t have many offensive superstars. They win with homers and are toward the top of the league in this category. Although, they don’t hit for average, and this is a sign of a good team. When a club can’t hit for average, it’s tough to win because homers don’t come every night. 

Michael Conforto has been the best power hitter with seven bombs on the season, but he is batting just .193. Thairo Estrada is the most consistent hitter, slashing .314/.364/.490. J.D. Davis has also been solid, with 22 RBI and a .293 average. The team needs more hitters like Estrada and Davis, and they may become reputable in the National League. 

Phillies vs Giants How to Watch

• Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
• Game Time & Date: MAY 15 @ 9:45 p.m. ET
• Streaming: MLB.TV