Nationals vs. Phillies: Picks, predictions, how to watch Tuesday’s game

The Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies square off on Tuesday with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Paolo Espino (0-1, 2.80 ERA) will get the start for the Nats while Cristopher Sanchez (0-1, 4.60 ERA) will step on the hill for the Phillies.

Philadelphia (42-38) had the Fourth of July holiday off yesterday and is entering the final stretch of its nine-game home stand. The Phillies took two of three from the Cardinals during their weekend series, blanking them with a 4-0 shutout on Sunday. Sanchez is coming out of the bullpen to make his second start of the year but he may be more of an opener for Philly.

Washington (29-53) is currently on a five-game losing streak and got swept by the Marlins in a four-game set over the weekend. The Nats had the misfortune of losing in extra innings the last two games, with a Bryan De La Cruz homer doing them in last night in the 10th inning. Espino is looking to have a better outing after giving up four earned runs in 4.1 innings against the Pirates last Wednesday.

Nationals vs. Phillies

Pitchers: Paolo Espino vs. Cristopher Sanchez
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Nationals local broadcast: MASN
Phillies local broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Phillies -1.5 (+120), Nationals +1.5 (-140)
Run total: 9.5
Moneyline odds: Phillies -165, Nationals +140

Moneyline pick: Phillies -165

Easy choice to go with the Phils at home tonight. The Nationals are an abysmal 6-28 against NL East opponents this season — the worst division record in the majors.

Player prop pick: Rhys Hoskins 0.5 home runs (+230)

Hoskins has homered in four of his last five games. We’ll go with a heat check and say he’ll blast another one this evening.

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