Phillies and Indians Battle for MLB Playoff Lives
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Indians will meet on Sunday Night Baseball with their collective playoff lives on the line. The Phillies can still earn a Wild Card spot in the National League playoffs, but their chances are getting slim. The Indians are not in such dire straights. They meet at Progressive Field and the game will be on ESPN with an earlier start time.
TV: 6:37 p.m. ET, ESPN; LINE: Indians -127; O/U: 10.5 Over -122
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (7-7, 4.89 ERA) vs. Indians RH Adam Plutko (7-4, 4.34)
The Phillies kept their faint playoff hopes alive after a big hit from Bryce Harper. The controversial left-handed slugger launched a three-run homer to give Philadelphia the lead as the Phillies went on to a 9-4 victory. They remain five games behind Milwaukee for the National League‘s second wild card spot with nine to play.
Harper has 33 homers, which is the third-most by any player in their first season with the Phillies. He is one behind Raul Ibanez for second. Former Indians Brad Miller (two) and Jay Bruce (one) also went deep in the victory as Philadelphia improved to 11-8 in interleague contests. Vince Velasquez gets the ball for the Phillies in the series finale.
The Indians counter with right-hander Adam Plutko. He looks to improve his career-high total to eight victories in his 19th start of the season. Cleveland built a 4-1 lead after two innings. They only managed just one hit the rest of the way to see its five-game winning streak come to an end and drop one game behind Tampa Bay for the American League‘s second wild card. Center fielder Oscar Mercado belted a two-run homer in the second inning for the Indians. He is 24-for-66 with 13 runs, 13 RBI’s and three home runs in his last 16 contests.
This, That, and a Dart Throw
Velasquez is unbeaten in his last six outings for the Phillies. He limited Atlanta to two runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over five innings Tuesday for a win. Velasquez has not completed more than five innings over his last seven appearances. Ryan Flaherty is 3-for-6 with a homer versus Velasquez, who is 1-1 with a 1.46 ERA in two career outings against the Indians.
Plutko has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts for the Indians. Tuesday, he held Detroit to a pair of runs over six innings to earn the victory. He is 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA over seven starts since Aug. 15th. Plutko has served up 22 homers across 19 appearances (18 starts) overall this season. Plutko faces Philadelphia for the first time in his career and is 1-0 with a 2.81 ERA in three interleague games (two starts).
The Dart Throw: Indians 7, Phillies 3
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Cleveland Indians Trends
- Trend Under is 9-3 in Indians last 12 games with the total set at 9.0-10.5. Hit % 75.00% (12) O/U 3|9 Push 0 W/L
- Under is 6-2 in Indians last 8 interleague games as a favorite of -201 or greater. 75.00% (8) 2|6 0
- Under is 4-1 in Indians last 5 games as a favorite of -151 to -200. 80.00% (5) 1|4 0
- Under is 11-5 in Indians last 16 games as a favorite of -110 to -150. 68.80% (16) 5|11 0
Philadelphia Phillies Trends
- Trend Under is 4-1 in Phillies last 5 games with the total set at 9.0-10.5. Hit % 80.00% (5) O/U 3|9 Push 0 W/L
- Over is 5-1 in Phillies last 6 road games with the total set at 6.5 or lower. 83.30% (6) 5|1 0
- Under is 20-7-1 in Phillies last 28 games as a road favorite of -151 to -200. 74.10% (28) 7|20 1
- Over is 6-2 in Phillies last 8 games as a road favorite of -110 to -150. 75.00% (8) 6|2 0
Sunday Night Baseball Meeting Trends
- Trend Over is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Cleveland. Hit % 75.00% (8) O/U 6|2 Push 0 W/L
- Under is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings. 75.00% (5) 1|3 1
- Phillies are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Cleveland. 20.00% (5) 0 1|4
- Phillies are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. 80.00% (5) 0 4|1
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