Section 215’s Best Philly Betting Picks for 7/31 (Jalen Hurts TDs vs Commanders, Phillies-Marlins Total)

It’s a new week, and there’s plenty of Phillies baseball to come. However, the approaching NFL preseason means we’re also looking ahead to the 2023 campaign.

With that in mind, here are our top Philadelphia sports betting picks for Monday.

Jason Schandl: Phillies-Marlins UNDER

This Phillies-Marlins series is obviously a crucial one in the NL East, and with so much on the line anything can happen. The betting markets reflect that, projecting this game as basically a coin-flip. Rather than trying to predict the flip of a coin, I’m going to take the much easier bet here: the under on the run total.

First of all, both the Phillies and Marlins have been among the most under-heavy teams this season, ranking 8th (PHI, 55.2%) and 13th (MIA, 52.0%) in the rate at which they’ve hit the under.

Secondly, both teams have right-handed pitchers on the mound today. And these are both teams that stack up significantly worse against right-handers than southpaws. Philly sees their wRC+ go from an above-average 101 against lefties to 96 against righties, and Miami drops from a stellar 118 (fourth in the majors) against lefties to 92 (22nd in the majors) against righties.

Taijuan Walker and Edward Cabrera aren’t exactly aces, but these offenses just aren’t major threats to punish them, and it’s hard to see many runs being scored in this one.

Isaiah De Los Santos: Jalen Hurts Touchdowns vs Commanders

As the preseason nears, regular season betting is heating up. DraftKings has recently posted a market that features players’ stats against opponents they’ve dominated before. Unsurprisingly, Jalen Hurts’ performance versus the Commanders this year is one of the available wagers.

With a proper offense around him, Hurts wreaked havoc on Philly’s NFC East foes in 2022. He posted a combined 6 touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) against Washington last season. Though Ron Rivera’s squad mostly stifled Hurts on the ground, he had little trouble moving the ball through the air, racking up 515 passing yards. That included a 340-yard, 3-TD performance in Week 3 during an easy 24-8 win.

Considering Hurts’ scoring success versus this divisional rival, there’s I’m buying into plenty of touchdowns coming in 2023. The Eagles’ offense is just as strong as its Super Bowl run a year ago, and the running back room is arguably even better with the additions of D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny. Swift’s ability to make highlight plays as a pass-catcher gives Hurts yet another weapon to hook up with for touchdowns through the air this season, too.

On the other side, Washington hiring renowned offensive mind Eric Bieniemy could help make games between these two sides more competitive in 2023. That would mean Philly asks Hurts to generate even more scoring, setting him up to keep putting TDs on the board.

I love taking Hurts to post 4 or 5 total TDs against the Commanders this season at +175, and I’d even sprinkle money on the 6 or 7 option at +500 as well considering Philadelphia’s firepower.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.