Game Highlights for Phillies vs Giants – July 08, 2025

Philadelphia Phillies

@

San Francisco Giants

As the San Francisco Giants host the Philadelphia Phillies on July 8, 2025, both teams are looking to gain ground in their respective standings. The Giants sit at 50-42, enjoying an above-average season, while the Phillies boast a record of 53-38, marking them as one of the stronger teams in the league. Both teams faced off yesterday, with the Giants narrowly edging out the Phillies in a tight contest.

On the mound, San Francisco will send Robbie Ray to the hill. Ray has been having an excellent season with a 2.68 ERA and a 9-3 win/loss record over 18 starts. His advanced-stat Power Ranking places him as the 72nd best starting pitcher in MLB, which reflects his above-average performance. However, Ray has been somewhat fortunate this year, as indicated by his 3.69 xFIP, suggesting he may experience some regression moving forward. He projects to pitch around 5.7 innings while allowing 2.7 earned runs, which aligns with his typical performance.

Conversely, Philadelphia counters with Taijuan Walker, who has struggled this season. With a 3-5 record and an ERA of 3.64, Walker is ranked among the worst pitchers in the league. His projections indicate he may only last about 4.0 innings, giving up 2.3 earned runs, which could pose a challenge for the Phillies.

Offensively, the Giants rank 24th in MLB, struggling particularly in batting average and home runs. In contrast, the Phillies’ offense is significantly stronger, ranked 9th overall and 6th in batting average. With a Game Total set at a low 7.5 runs, the Giants are favored with a moneyline of -150 and an average implied team total of 4.08 runs, while the Phillies sit as underdogs at +130 with a low implied total of 3.42 runs.

In this matchup, the Giants’ reliance on a strong bullpen, ranked 4th in MLB, may play a crucial role in overcoming their offensive shortcomings against a Phillies team that has shown vulnerabilities on the mound.

Philadelphia Phillies Insights

• Taijuan Walker – Over/Under Pitching Outs
  The leading projection system (THE BAT X) expects Taijuan Walker to be on a pitch count in this game, projecting a maximum of 80 pitches.
  Explain: A pitcher who is on a pitch count is likely to be pulled from the game earlier, record fewer outs, and generate fewer strikeouts.
• J.T. Realmuto – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+145/-190)
  J.T. Realmuto has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 93-mph average over the past two weeks to his seasonal 90.4-mph mark.
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.
• Philadelphia Phillies – 2H Moneyline
  According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen grades out as the 7th-worst among all the teams in the majors.
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game’s runs.

San Francisco Giants Insights

• Robbie Ray – Over/Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-110/-120)
  With 7 batters who bat from the opposite side in the opposing team’s projected batting order, Robbie Ray meets a tough challenge while lacking the platoon advantage in most plate appearances in today’s game.
  Explain: Right-handed pitchers perform worse against left-handed hitters (and visa-versa). If several hitters hold this advantage against the pitcher, it can have a huge impact on whether he will perform well or struggle on any given day.
• Mike Yastrzemski – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-170)
  Typically, bats like Mike Yastrzemski who hit a lot of flyballs tend to perform worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Taijuan Walker.
  Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create diminished performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
• Heliot Ramos – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+115/-145)
  Heliot Ramos has a 90th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.9%) and sets up very well considering he’ll be hitting them in the direction of the league’s 2nd-shallowest RF fences in today’s matchup.
  Explain: This player’s skill set matches up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to better-than-usual performance.

Betting Trends

• Robbie Ray – Over/Under 1.5 Walks Allowed (-125/-105)
  Robbie Ray has hit the Walks Allowed Under in 3 of his last 4 games at home (+3.00 Units / 75% ROI)