Philadelphia slit a doubleheader with Boston on Tuesday before heading to Miami. They come into this game two games behind Atlanta for first place in the NL East. They also lead Miami by a game and a half for second place in the standings—the top two teams make the postseason this year. Jake Arrieta will take the mound for the Phillies. He went seven strong innings against the Mets in his last outing, giving up two runs on seven hits. He has struggled this season posting a 5.67 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.

Miami trails the Phillies by 1.5 games in the division standings. The Marlins have a chance to take over second place as they are scheduled to play the Phillies seven games between Thursday and Monday night, including a pair of doubleheaders. The Marlins will look to get things started by sending Sandy Alcantara to the mound. In his last start, he went six innings and allowed just one run. So far this season, he has posted a 3.78 ERA.

Philadelphia is 9-1 in its last 10 games as a favorite, while Miami is 0-4 in Alcantara's last four Thursday starts and 1-6 in its last seven home games vs. a team with a winning record. Philadelphia has been playing really well as of late and has been hitting the ball well. This is an important series as the Phillies can extend their lead over Miami and put pressure on Atalanta. They have won nine of their last 10 games as a favorite and have won their last five series openers. Take the Phillies in Game 1 of the series.

Play on Philadelphia.