The Phillies split a doubleheader with the Braves on Thursday, but don’t feel too badly for Philadelphia sports fans. Not only are the Phillies currently sitting atop the NL East as we get set to turn the calendars to June, but the team has won 22 of its last 28 games. That is called a hot streak, my friends.
To their credit, the Brewers are also riding high heading into Friday’s series opener, having just swept the Red Sox to give the club seven victories in its last 10 contests. It also seems like Brandon Woodruff (ankle) might be ready to come off the IL very soon, so vibes are good right now in Milwaukee.
Let’s break down tonight’s matchup with some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Brewers vs. Phillies prediction, preview
While the Brewers wait for Woodruff to come help out their injury-ravaged rotation, DL Hall will get his first start of the season tonight. Hall threw 33 pitches in Monday’s win and has made three starts in the minors in 2025, but I think it’s fair to assume that this will be a bit of a bullpen game for Milwaukee. Hall, once a top prospect in the Orioles’ system and traded to the Brewers in the Corbin Burnes deal, has struggled with control throughout his time at the professional level. He has a career 9.7% walk rate in the majors and issued six free passes in his 10.2 innings in the Complex League and Triple-A. With that in mind, this could be a rough matchup with a Phillies lineup that owns baseball’s third-highest OBP (.337) and fourth-highest walk rate (9.8%).
In general, Milwaukee’s relievers have struggled to a 4.55 ERA in 2025 — ranking 23rd in MLB. Even if Philadelphia doesn’t get Bryce Harper (elbow) back for this tilt, I’d still expect the Phillies to have little issue scoring runs on Friday night. The question is whether or not they’ll be alone in that success.
Taijuan Walker will toe the rubber for Philadelphia, and while he’s easily looked much better in 2025 than in his nightmarish 2024 campaign, it’s a little difficult to trust the veteran RHP. For instance, after beginning the season with 10.2 scoreless innings in his first two outings, Walker has managed a pretty mundane 4.08 ERA in his last seven appearances — a figure that rises to 4.37 if you only include his starts. I’ll put it this way: Walker’s avoiding barrels, but he’s definitely not missing bats. That’s evidenced by an underwhelming 10th percentile whiff rate (18.6%). That’s simply not an archetype of pitcher that I can rally behind.
Brewers vs. Phillies pick, best bet
Best Bet: Phillies ML (-130)
Philly is 19-9 at home and going up against something that should amount to a bullpen day.
Strong Lean: DL Hall 3+ Strikeouts (+145)
Hall likely isn’t going five innings tonight, but I assume he’ll be somewhere between 50-60 pitches. He’s also armed with an 11.2% career swinging strike rate and 10.0 K/9 in the majors.
