Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez is an intriguing prop target on Sept. 9.

The Houston Astros picked up a much-needed win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, keeping them in first place in the AL West, two games ahead of the Texas Rangers.

On Wednesday, Houston is set as a road underdog with a pair of aces on the mound.

Philly has lefty Cristopher Sanchez (2.58 ERA) on the bump while Hunter Brown (3.31 ERA) is set to make his 17th appearance of the season for Houston. Both of these starters have been All-Stars in their career, and oddsmakers project this as a potentially low-scoring game with the total set at just eight runs.

The Phillies are the top wild card in the NL, and they are still within striking distance of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. Can they build on an impressive 21-8 record when Sanchez is on the bump?

Here’s a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for Wednesday’s showdown between two potential playoff teams.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Sanchez has been one of the best pitchers in the National League this season, posting a 2.58 ERA, but he’s struggled to work in the seventh inning in recent months.

Since July 1 (11 starts), Sanchez has failed to get through 19 outs (6.1 innings) in eight of his outings, posting a 3.64 ERA in the process. Overall, he has just 12 outings (out of 29) with 19 or more outs recorded and eight of those were in a row from late April to early June.

Houston’s offense is one of the better ones in the league, ranking ninth in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) and 12th in OPS. I think the Astros will be able to chase Sanchez before the seventh inning on Wednesday.

In today’s edition of Walk-Off Wagers – our MLB Best Bets column at SI – I shared how to bet on both of these starters:

The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies have their aces on the mound on Wednesday night, as Hunter Brown (3.31 ERA) gets the ball against Cristopher Sanchez (2.58 ERA).

Brown missed time earlier this season with an injury, but he’s allowed three or fewer runs in 14 of his 16 outings in 2026, ranking in the 75th percentile in expected ERA and the 88th percentile in expected batting average against.

Sanchez has been equally as good, allowing three or fewer runs in 23 of his 29 outings. He sits in the 82nd percentile in expected ERA and the 56th percentile in expected BAA this season. On top of that, Sanchez has a 2.11 ERA in seven starts since Aug. 1.

These offenses combined for 11 runs in Tuesday’s series opener, but I expect things to be much tougher with these All-Stars on the mound. I’m a little shocked the total for the first five innings is still set at 4.5, so I’ll gladly take the UNDER on Wednesday.

Pick: First 5 Innings UNDER 4.5 (-125 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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