It is Josiah Gray vs Kyle Gibson when the Nationals face the Phillies today. The Phillies are on an 8-2 run and are also 8-2 vs the Nationals this year. The Nationals, while investing for the future, lost a chunk of their offense at the trade deadline. After a very good month of June, Gray’s effectiveness dropped in July, giving up 12 runs over 15 innings in his last three starts. He still got his strikeouts, but base on balls and the long ball have been an issue, as his ERA climbed to 6.75 for the month.

You never know what you’ll get from Gibson lately; either very good or the opposite. He stumbled two starts ago but bounced back with a solid outing vs the Braves. He missed a start so will be well rested.

The Phillies are playing for a wild card spot and hit well for power. The Nationals are a poor road team and have won just 1 of 5 games. I expect one of his better showings from Gibson. The odds definitely favor the Phillies, but they should be good for the extra runs. Take the Phillies on the runline at - 1 ½. 8*