The Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies meet Tuesday in MLB action from Citizens Bank Park. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies prediction.

Starting Pitching Matchup

The Houston Astros will send out Justin Verlander here and Verlander is 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA and 57 strikeouts this season. In his career, Verlander is 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 26 strikeouts against Philadelphia. Aaron Nola will get the start for the Phillies and is 11-6 with a 3.45 ERA and 147 strikeouts this season. In his career, Nola is 3-0 with a 0.44 ERA and 25 strikeouts against the Astros.

Houston Astros Recap

The Houston Astros will try to bounce back after starting the series with a 3-2 loss in Monday’s loss to the Phillies. The loss put the Astros at early risk of another series loss after falling short against the Red Sox last week and splitting with the Orioles this past weekend.

Astros Trying To Pull Away In AL West

Jose Altuve has 154 hits and a .296 batting average with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs and 22 doubles while Yordan Alvarez also has 25 homers with 67 RBIs and 29 doubles. Altuve has the Astros’ team lead with 18 stolen bases so far this season. Jeremy Pena also has 135 hits and a .274 batting average as well as 15 stolen bases of his own this season. Alex Bregman’s added 21 homers and 61 RBIs and 25 doubles also.

Why the Houston Astros will win

• The Astros have won each of their last four games as road underdogs against National League opponents following a loss.
• The Phillies have lost six of their last seven games as favorites against American League opponents following a win.
• The Astros have covered the run line in each of their last nine games as road underdogs following a loss.
• The Phillies have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven games as favorites against American League opponents following a win.

Philadelphia Phillies Recap

The Philadelphia Phillies will look to keep the momentum going after their walk-off win over the Astros from Monday’s series opener. The win put the Phillies in a good position to nab back-to-back series wins after taking out the Royals this past weekend.

Phillies Looking To Create Space In NL East

Alec Bohm leads the Phillies with 145 hits including 43 doubles, a .291 batting average and a team-high 88 RBIs while Bryce Harper has 26 home runs with 76 RBIs and Bryson Stott has a team-high 26 stolen bases. Kyle Schwarber has 28 home runs, 82 RBIs and a team-high 158 strikeouts as well this season. Johan Rojas also has 21 stolen bases as well this season.

Why the Philadelphia Phillies will win

• The Phillies have won 18 of their last 19 games at Citizens Bank Park following an extra innings win.
• The Astros have lost four of their last five games against NL East opponents that held a winning record.
• The Phillies have covered the run line in nine of their last 10 games as favorites after going to extra innings.
• The Astros have failed to cover the run line each of their last seven Tuesday games against National League opponents that held a winning record.

Astros vs. Phillies Prediction

I’m backing the Astros here. I know the Phillies have a fair bit of momentum after taking out the Astros in walk-off fashion on Monday, but this to me is still a coin flip matchup and we’re getting a decent amount of plus money with a first-ballot hall-of-famer in Justin Verlander and an Astros lineup behind him with some pop in those bats against a pitcher in Nola who has had issues with hard contact and home runs for much of the year. I had this as a coin flip matchup so to get plus money on either side sounds good to me. Give me Houston here.