Today's top games to watch, best bets, odds: Phillies vs. Marlins, Guardians vs. Reds and more

The Miami Marlins are no strangers to lengthy losing streaks, as they entered the 2026 MLB season having endured five double-digit skids since their inception in 1993. But after overcoming a rough first two months of the year and moving a season-high 10 games over .500 less than three weeks ago, they now find themselves in uncharted waters.

>Miami (52-54) attempts to halt its franchise-record 12-game losing streak on Monday as it hosts the Philadelphia Phillies (57-49) at 6:40 p.m. ET for the opener of a three-game series at LoanDepot Park. The Marlins were six outs away from ending their fourth overall 11-game skid and first since 2011 on Sunday allowed the San Diego Padres to stage a four-run rally in the eighth inning and suffered a 5-3 setback.

>By completing a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners on July 9 with its sixth consecutive win, Miami found itself tied with Philadelphia for second place in the NL East, three games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves. The club hasn't won since and sits in fourth place, 10.5 games back.

>The Marlins are 2-5 this season against the Phillies, who have been scuffling themselves in the second half thus far. Philadelphia returned from the All-Star break and went 2-6 over the first eight contests of its nine-game homestand, scoring fewer than two runs in five of the losses, before trouncing the New York Yankees 11-4 in Sunday's finale.

>Miami looks to halt its slide behind former Phillie Tyler Phillips (2-5, 3.52 ERA), who has lost six of his last seven starts but has given up two earned runs or fewer in each of the past three. The 28-year-old right-hander was tagged for eight runs over four innings in a loss to Philadelphia on June 16 but worked four scoreless frames of relief against the club in May.

>The Phillies, who trail the Braves by 5.5 games but occupy the second wild card spot in the NL, counter with Zack Wheeler (10-2, 2.16 ERA). The 36-year-old righty is 14-4 lifetime and 5-0 in his last 10 starts against Miami, including a pair this season. Wheeler allowed a total of one run with 17 strikeouts across 12 innings in those two outings.

>There are 10 other games on MLB's Monday evening schedule, including the opener of a three-game set between the slumping Cleveland Guardians (54-53) and Cincinnati Reds (49-55) at 7:10 p.m. ET at Great American Ball Park. The Guardians are in the midst of a five-game losing streak during which they've scored a total of 10 runs and have been shut out in each of their last two outings. Cincinnati is last in the NL Central but has won four of its last five contests.

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>The Houston Astros (52-55) look to continue their surge Monday as they kick off a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels (42-64) at 9:38 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. Houston had a disappointing first half of the season and began the second half by getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles in their three-game set but won five straight before losing the finale of its series with the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Despite their struggles, the Astros are just two games behind the American League West-leading Texas Rangers and two back in the wild card race.

>Another series that begins Monday is a four-gamer between the scorching-hot Boston Red Sox (54-50) and Athletics (44-61) at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif., with the opener beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET. Boston has won 17 of its last 19 overall contests and enters the set with a nine-game winning streak on the road, while the Athletics have lost four of their past five contests.

>The Phillies are -192 favorites against the Marlins in the latest consensus MLB odds, while the Reds are -165 favorites against the Guardians. The Astros are -111 favorites over the Angels and the Red Sox are -178 favorites against the Athletics.

>Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, July 27. All times Eastern

>Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Miami | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

>SportsLine picks --  Model: Over 7.5 (-115) | Expert: Zack Wheeler Over 18.5 outs recorded (+129, Angelo Magliocca)

>The Marlins haven't scored much during their franchise-record 12-game slide, producing three runs or fewer 10 times. Wheeler has given up more than two runs in only three of his 16 starts this year and yielded one over 12 innings in two turns against Miami. The Phillies scored just one run in the first two games of their weekend series with the New York Yankees but erupted for 11 in Sunday's finale. They tagged Phillips for eight runs across four frames on June 16, and the SportsLine Projection Model doesn't think there will be a shortage in Monday's series opener as the Over hits in almost 66% of its simulations. Wheeler has worked seven innings in three of his last five outings, and SportsLine expert Angelo Magliocca (26-15, +492.5 on his last 41 MLB player prop picks) likes him to go deep into his turn against Miami.

>Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: Cincinnati | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

>SportsLine picks --  Model: Guardians +1.5 (-148) | Expert: Reds -1.5 (+123, Micah Roberts)

>The Guardians were stymied in their three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend as they were outscored 15-3 while being swept. Cleveland scored all three runs in the opener as it was limited to a total of six hits over the final two contests. The club is 29th in the majors in runs (420) and has been shut out in back-to-back games three times this year but hasn't gone three straight without scoring since last August. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the Guardians getting on the board and keeping it close against the Reds as its simulations have them covering the run line 71% of the time. SportsLine expert Micah Roberts (14-8-1, +1070 on his last 23 MLB picks) disagrees, however, as Cincinnati has won each of righty Chase Burns' last seven starts by at least two runs.

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>Time: 9:38 p.m. | Location: Anaheim, Calif. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

>SportsLine picks --  Model: Angels +1.5 (-177) | Expert: Walbert Urena Over 4.5 strikeouts (-102, PropBetGuy)

>The Angels have gone just 4-5 since the All-Star break, but three of the losses were by one run. They gave Houston's Tatsuya Imai a rude welcome to the major leagues on March 29, tagging the 28-year-old Japanese righty for four runs on three hits and four walks over 2 2/3 innings in his debut. The SportsLine Projection Model feels the Angels will have some success against Imai again as they cover the run line in 62% of its simulations. Los Angeles rookie right-hander Walbert Urena has registered five or more strikeouts in eight of his last 10 starts, and SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (54-30, +1671 on his last 84 MLB player prop picks) thinks the trend will continue against the Astros.

>Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: West Sacramento, Calif. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

>SportsLine pick --  Model: Athletics +1.5 (-107)

>The Red Sox have gone 8-2 in the second half and been involved in only two one-run games during that span, winning both. Just four of their victories during their current 17-2 stretch have been by a single run. One of the Athletics' last 10 contests were one-run decisions. Despite these facts, the SportsLine Projection Model believes the opener of the four-game series between the clubs will be a tight one as its simulations have the Athletics covering the run line 66% of the time.

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