Philadelphia Phillies vs Miami Marlins Prediction: Both teams in need of a victory

MLB action moves to Citizens Bank Park on Thursday for game two of the National League Wild Card series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins. The Phillies picked up a victory in the first game of the series, and with this game coming up, the home team will be looking to keep the momentum going. Will this turn out in favor of the Marlins, or will the Phillies be able to hold their ground?

Following their victory against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Phillies now need only one more victory to go to the National League Division Series. Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm notched a double and a run batted in each, with Castellanos recording two doubles. Cristian Pache and Bryson Stott contributed runs batted in to finish out the scoring for Philadelphia in their victory. In addition, Trea Turner had a perfect game, going 2-for-3 with a double, and Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Josh Rojas all contributed to the victory by collecting a base hit. After allowing just one run on five hits and striking out eight batters over the course of 6.2 innings of work, Zack Wheeler was awarded the victory and improved his record to 1-0. The game was saved by Craig Kimbrel, who pitched a perfect ninth inning. This game will be started for the Philadelphia Phillies by Aaron Nola, who finished the season with a 12-9 record, a 4.46 earned run average, and 202 strikeouts.

The Miami Marlins enter this game on the verge of being eliminated from the series after suffering a defeat by a score of 4-1 in the first game of the series on Tuesday. Josh Bell went 3 for 4 with a double and drove in the lone run for the Miami Marlins, while Bryan De La Cruz was responsible for the Marlins' lone RBI. In addition, Jesus Sanchez, Jake Burger, and Luis Arraez all contributed to the losing cause for the Miami Marlins by collecting a base hit. Jesus Luzardo was charged with the defeat and now has a record of 0-1 after working just four innings and allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out five batters. The Marlins will go with Braxton Garrett as their starting pitcher today. Garrett finished the regular season with a 9-7 record, a 3.66 earned run average, and 156 strikeouts.

I'm going to continue to back the Miami Marlins in this contest. There is something about Aaron Nola that just doesn't sit right with me, and he has a history of struggling against the Miami Marlins this season, allowing four runs in each of his three starts versus the Fish. Braxton Garrett as a pitcher here will be a boost for the Marlins, and I would argue that the staff ace will come here to give it their all. My tip is that the Marlins will not roll over easily in this situation; hence, they should be able to win and maintain themselves in the series going into game three.