Jim Feist's FREE PLAY
Friday, August 28, 2026
MLB
08/28/2026 (6:38 pt / 9:38 et)
979. Philadelphia Phillies vs 980. LA Angels
Take: 979. Phillies -1.40 (6:38 pt / 9:38 et)
I will take the Phillies over Angels on Friday despite Reid Detmers‘ great stretch run for Los Angeles. Detmers boasts a 3.62 ERA and has been fantastic since the All-Star break, but Philly has also hit lefties well this month, posting a .300 batting average against southpaws in the past two weeks.
Andrew Painter’s recent success may be more important. The rookie’s season stats are terrible (3-8, 6.04 ERA), but he was dominant in his last outing. Painter held the Cardinals to one run on seven hits over seven innings with eight strikeouts and zero walks. He had much more command of his fastball and secondary offerings, inducing swings and misses at a high rate. If he pitches like that again, Painter and the Phillies staff have a better matchup than the surface ERA indicates.
Philadelphia’s offense is deeper and more potent too. Kyle Schwarber has crushed 40 homers, Bryce Harper is currently on base in 29 consecutive games, and the Phillies had a nine-game winning streak snapped with two losses in Seattle. They responded with a blowout win over the Mariners, winning 6-0 on Wednesday.
The Angels are trending in the opposite direction. They are 52-82, have lost four straight games heading into this series, and were just swept in a four-game series by the Cleveland Guardians. Philly is 74-60 and still jockeying for postseason positioning, while the Angels own a horrid record against right-handed pitching (39-54).
Detmers should keep the game close early, but Philadelphia’s lineup and Painter’s recent positive momentum give me enough reasons to believe the Phillies can take over this game through the entire nine innings.
Jim's Play: 979. Phillies
