Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/08/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Venue:  Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, TBS

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +129, Phillies -156; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +130, Phillies -155; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +125, Phillies -155; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Houston Astros:  73-71 (1st place, AL West)

Philadelphia Phillies:  80-63 (2nd place, NL East)

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Houston Astros:  6-4 last 10

Philadelphia Phillies:  7-3 last 10

The Astros are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 73-71 record overall and have a road record of 36-33. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Phillies on Tuesday and they have Monday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .722 OPS. Peter Lambert was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Hayden Wesneski is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 5 SO on 1 hit through 7 IP against the Chicago White Sox.

The Phillies are entering this series off a win and split their 4-game series against the Atlanta Braves 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with an 81-63 record overall and have a home record of 40-32. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Tuesday and they have Monday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 19th in the MLB with a .712 OPS. Jesús Luzardo was their starting pitcher on Monday while rookie pitcher Andrew Painter is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 3-8 with a 5.55 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 walks with 6 strikeouts on 2 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The current betting odds have the Astros listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros have looked good in their games this season with their 73-71 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They have been a good road team too with their 36-33 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Phillies have looked really good in their games this season with their 81-63 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL East. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 40-32 home record this season. The Phillies are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have looked great lately, but they did split their last series against the Braves. The Astros have looked good lately too, now 6-4 in their last 10 games, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Astros are going with Wesneski in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA and the team has been having a lot of success with him. He is coming off another great start giving up no runs which has been a common theme for him and the team has won 3 games in a row now with him starting too. The Phillies are going with Painter in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 3-8 with a 5.55 ERA and he has been having a lot of trouble in this rookie season. The team has looked better with him lately, winning 4 of their last 5 games with him starting, and he didn't give up any runs in his last start either, but that hasn't been a common theme for him all year. The Astros have been pitching really well over the last few weeks and they have the stronger offense this season to lean on too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game. 

Astros Phillies Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, September 8, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Astros 3 Phillies 1.

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Houston Astros: 249-219 (-6.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 51-46 (-6.4 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 9-8 (-4 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 5.40 or worse. 20-14 UNDER against NL East opponents.

Philadelphia Phillies: 274-202 (+11.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 150-88 (+21.4 units) on the moneyline in home games. 230-133 (+29.4 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 35-23 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150.

Houston Astros:  M. Burrows (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. S. Okert (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. B. Matthews (CF) Sixty Day IL - Knee. C. Correa (SS) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. B. Walter (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Philadelphia Phillies:  F. Reyes (LF) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. C. Kilian (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. T. Banks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. B. Keller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Rojas (CF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Garcia (RF) Sixty Day IL - Lat.

“He’s been pitched very differently, been pitched very tough, which is expected. He’s getting his hits, he’s getting his walks. The ball hasn’t left the yard [much] but I think it’s coming. I think there’s going to be a stretch there where he’s going to come out and hit home runs. The quality of the at-bats has been there.” - Joe Espada on Yordan Alvarez after his team’s loss against the Diamondbacks in their game on Sunday. 

“It was the right spot for [McFarlane] today.” - Don Mattingly after his team’s loss against the Braves in their game on Sunday.

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Christian Walker (R) 1B

Nelson Velázquez (R) LF

Daulton Varsho (L) CF

Cam Smith (R) RF

Christian Vázquez (R) C

Kyle Schwarber (L) DH

Trea Turner (R) SS

Bryce Harper (L) RF

Luis Arraez (L) 2B

Alec Bohm (R) 1B

Bryson Stott (L) 3B

Brandon Marsh (L) LF

J.T. Realmuto (R) C

Justin Crawford (L) CF

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.314)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (160)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (38)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (95)

Stolen Bases:  Cam Smith (10)

Wins:  Peter Lambert (8)

Saves:  Josh Hader (23)

ERA:  Josh Hader (0.69)

Batting Average:  Bryan De La Cruz (.321)

Hits:  Bryce Harper (137)

Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber (43)

RBI:  Kyle Schwarber (87)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (24)

Wins:  Cristopher Sánchez (16)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (30)

ERA:  Bryse Wilson (0.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)

Philadelphia Phillies: Don Mattingly (Interim)