Sunday, March 12, 2017

George M. Steinbrenner Field

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Probable Pitchers: Jaime Garcia vs. CC Sabathia

The Atlanta Braves visit George M. Steinbrenner Field on Sunday, March 12, 2017 to play the New York Yankees in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Jaime Garcia for the Braves and CC Sabathia for the Yankees.

The opening line for this matchup has Atlanta at +115 and New York at -135. 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 Yankees were 81-81-0 against the run line and had a 72-80-10 over/under record. They covered the spread 50% of the time.

The Braves are coming off a 68-93 record in 2016, including 37-43 on the road. Starting pitcher Jaime Garcia had a 10-13 record with an earned run average of 4.67 and a WHIP of 1.38. He had 150 strikeouts over his 171.2 innings pitched and he gave up 179 hits last season. He allowed 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.49. 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.

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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.

New York had a 48-33 home record and a 84-78 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 3.91, CC Sabathia had a 9-12 record and a 1.32 WHIP last season. He had 152 strikeouts over the 179.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 172 hits. He allowed 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.28. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 3.67 and they gave up 426 base hits on the year. Teams hit .221 against the Yankees bullpen while being struck out 578 times and walking 184 times last season. As a team, New York allowed 8.56 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.78 batters per nine innings. They were 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Yankees pitchers as a team surrendered 1,358 base knocks and 660 earned runs last season. They gave up 214 home runs last year and they gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. New York as a staff walked 444 hitters and struck out 1,393. They gave up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.26 while their FIP as a staff was 4.20.

As a team, they batted .252, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .253 average at home. The Yankees held a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314 which was good for 25th in baseball. They ranked 21st in baseball with 8.5 hits per contest. Brett Gardner comes into this matchup after batting .261 with an OBP of .351. He had 143 hits last year along with 80 runs scored and 41 RBI. He struck out 106 times and walked on 70 occasions. Didi Gregorius hit .276 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .304. He collected 155 hits while scoring 68 runs and driving in 70. He earned a walk 19 times and punched out 82 times. The Yankees as a unit had 1,377 base hits, including 245 doubles and 183 homers. They had 72 stolen bases and were thrown out 22 times. New York as a team walked 475 times last year and they struck out 1,188 times. They had 1,098 men left on base and had an OPS of .720. They scored 4.2 runs per game and totaled 680 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

New York Yankees Betting Trends

The New York Yankees were 72-80-10 against the over/under last season

The New York Yankees were 81-81-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Atlanta Braves

No key injuries to report

New York Yankees

No key injuries to report

Tony's Pick: Take the Braves +115

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