One really fun aspect of players choosing a different team in their division in free agency: The fans they left don't usually have to wait long to see them again. Bryce Harper and the Phillies visit Nationals Park on Tuesday, as Harper returns to the stadium in which he played home games for seven years as a visitor for the first time.
The Phillies have aspirations of winning the World Series this year, as do the Nationals, who, even without Harper, have a solid team and are trying to get back the playoffs after disappointing 2018. The NL East is as competitive as ever this year, and Harper and the Phillies are trying to make a jump to the next level with other new faces such as J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura.
Here's how to watch the Phillies and Nationals on Tuesday.
Phillies vs. Nationals
Date: Tuesday, April 2Time: 7:05 p.m. ETLocation: Nationals Park, Washington D.C.TV: MLB Network ,MASN2, NSP+Live stream: fuboTV (for fans in the Philadelphia market)Live Stats: GameTrackerPicks: Check SportsLine's MLB pick sheet for all your daily odds. Odds: Washington -185 / Philadelphia +170Storylines
Phillies: Bryce Harper is off to a fine start in Philly, with a pair of homers and three hits in his first nine at-bats (not to mention four walks). He's going to be dealing with a hostile crowd in Washington, and although he's tried to diffuse any animosity between himself and Nationals fans, expect boos to rain down any time he's at the plate.
Nationals: For the Nats, the idea is going to be to just play baseball and try not to get blinded by the noise. Max Scherzer is on the mound, so they have their ace going. Scherzer threw a gem against the Mets on Opening Day, but Jacob deGrom barely outlasted him. Scherzer is trying to avoid going 0-2 to start the year, and to do that he'll have to beat a Phillies team that swept its opening series.
Prediction
Max Scherzer starting is a pretty tough thing to bet against, so I would expect him to outlast Zach Eflin. Pitching should end up being the difference in a game with two solid lineups.
Pick: Nationals -185
