Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Spectrum Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Aaron Blair vs. Jerad Eickhoff

The Atlanta Braves visit Spectrum Field on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 to play the Philadelphia Phillies in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Aaron Blair for the Braves and Jerad Eickhoff for the Phillies.

The opening line for this matchup has Atlanta at +100 and Philadelphia at -120. The Braves had a 82-69-10 over/under record and a 85-76-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 53% of the time. The Phillies were 83-79-0 against the run line and had a 78-76-8 over/under record. They covered the spread 51% of the time.

The Braves are coming off a 68-93 record in 2016, including 37-43 on the road. Starting pitcher Aaron Blair had a 2-7 record with an earned run average of 7.59 and a WHIP of 1.66. He had 46 strikeouts over his 70 innings pitched and he gave up 82 hits last season. He allowed 10.5 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 6.15. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.95 and they gave up 537 base hits on the year. Teams hit .246 against the bullpen while being struck out 543 times and walking 256 times last season. As a team, Atlanta allowed 8.79 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.63 batters per nine innings. They were 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.51. The Braves pitchers collectively gave up 1,414 base hits and 725 earned runs. They allowed 177 home runs last season and they allowed 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Atlanta as a pitching staff walked 547 batters and struck out 1,227. They walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit was 4.32.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other MLB games check out our handicapping tips.

As a team Atlanta batted .255, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .249 average away from home. The Braves held a .384 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which was good for 16th in baseball. They ranked 15th in baseball with 8.72 hits per game. Nick Markakis is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .269 with an on-base percentage of .346. He had 161 hits last season along with 67 runs scored and 89 runs batted in. He struck out 101 times and walked 71 times. Freddie Freeman hit .302 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .400. He totaled 178 hits while scoring 102 runs and he drove in 91. He walked 89 times and struck out on 171 occasions. The Braves had 1,404 hits, including 295 doubles and 122 home runs. They stole 75 bases and were thrown out stealing 34 times. Atlanta walked 502 times last season and they struck out 1,240 times as a unit. They left 1,161 men on base and had a team OPS of .705. They scored 4.03 runs per contest and scored a total of 649 runs last year.

Philadelphia had a 37-44 home record and a 71-91 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 3.65, Jerad Eickhoff had a 11-14 record and a 1.16 WHIP last season. He had 167 strikeouts over the 197.1 innings he pitched during which he gave up 187 hits. He allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.19. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 5.05 and they gave up 556 base hits on the year. Teams hit .266 against the Phillies bullpen while being struck out 513 times and walking 218 times last season. As a team, Philadelphia allowed 9.19 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.14 batters per nine innings. They were 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.63. The Phillies pitchers as a team surrendered 1,468 base knocks and 739 earned runs last season. They gave up 213 home runs last year and they gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a staff walked 466 hitters and struck out 1,299. They gave up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.35 while their FIP as a staff was 4.35.

As a team, they batted .240, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .231 average at home. The Phillies held a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .301 which was good for 29th in baseball. They ranked 28th in baseball with 8.06 hits per contest. Cesar Hernandez comes into this matchup after batting .294 with an OBP of .371. He had 161 hits last year along with 67 runs scored and 39 RBI. He struck out 116 times and walked on 66 occasions. Odubel Herrera hit .286 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .361. He collected 167 hits while scoring 87 runs and driving in 49. He earned a walk 63 times and punched out 134 times. The Phillies as a unit had 1,306 base hits, including 231 doubles and 161 homers. They had 96 stolen bases and were thrown out 45 times. Philadelphia as a team walked 424 times last year and they struck out 1,376 times. They had 1,043 men left on base and had an OPS of .685. They scored 3.77 runs per game and totaled 610 runs last season.

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves were 82-69-10 against the over/under last season

The Atlanta Braves were 85-76-0 against the run line last season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies were 78-76-8 against the over/under last season

The Philadelphia Phillies were 83-79-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Atlanta Braves

No key injuries to report

Philadelphia Phillies

No key injuries to report

Tony's Pick: Take the Braves +100

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink