Atlanta Braves at Tampa Bay Rays 5/8/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Sean Newcomb vs. Blake Snell

Tropicana Field is the site of the matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Sean Newcomb for the Braves and Blake Snell for the Rays.

Atlanta opens at +118 while Tampa Bay opens at -128. The Braves have a 16-14-3 over/under record and a 19-14-0 run line mark. The Rays are 18-14-0 against the run line and have a 17-13-2 over/under record.

Valuable Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves are 16-14-3 against the over/under

The Atlanta Braves are 19-14-0 against the run line

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 17-13-2 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 18-14-0 against the run line

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

05/04/18 SS Dansby Swanson Wrist 10-day DL (05/04)
04/18/18 P Anibal Sanchez Leg 10-day DL (04/18)
04/18/18 P Jose Ramirez Shoulder 10-day DL (04/18)
03/30/18 P Chase Whitley Heel 10-day DL (03/26)
03/30/18 P Jacob Lindgren Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Grant Dayton Elbow 60-day DL (02/14)

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

05/02/18 P Yonny Chirinos Forearm 10-day DL (04/29)
04/17/18 CF Kevin Kiermaier Thumb 60-day DL (04/16)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)
03/29/18 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 10-day DL (03/28)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Braves have a 19-14 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Sean Newcomb has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 3.38 and a WHIP of 1.27 this year. He has 42 strikeouts over his 34.2 innings pitched and he's given up 29 hits. He's allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.16. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.77 and they have given up 98 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the bullpen and they've struck out 134 hitters and walked 80 batters. As a team, Atlanta allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 3.76. The Braves pitchers collectively have given up 265 base hits and 127 earned runs. They have allowed 29 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Atlanta as a pitching staff has walked 152 batters and struck out 309. They have walked 4.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 3.95.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Atlanta is hitting .274, good for 1st in the league. The Braves hold a .446 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.8 hits per game. Nick Markakis is hitting .344 with an on-base percentage of .428. He has 45 hits this season in 131 at bats with 25 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .550 and an OPS+ of 170. Freddie Freeman is hitting .307 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .414. He has totaled 39 hits and he has driven in 25 men in 127 at bats. His OPS+ is 163 while his slugging percentage is at .535. The Braves have 325 hits, including 77 doubles and 39 home runs. Atlanta has walked 114 times so far this season and they have struck out 259 times as a unit. They have left 245 men on base and have a team OPS of .787. They score 5.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 181 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 15-17 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.55, Blake Snell has a 4-1 record and a 0.95 WHIP this season. He has 45 strikeouts over the 42.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 28 hits. He allows 6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.11. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.58 and they have given up 123 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 122 batters and walked 48 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 265 base knocks and 134 earned runs this season. They have given up 31 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 100 hitters and struck out 274 batters. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .262, good for 3rd in the league. The Rays hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 5th in MLB with 9.0 hits per contest. Mallex Smith comes into this matchup batting .330 with an OBP of .413. He has 30 hits this year along with 5 RBI in 91 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .418 with an OPS+ of 137. C.J. Cron is hitting .256 this season and he has an OBP of .313. He has collected 31 hits in 121 at bats while driving in 20 runs. He has an OPS+ of 118 and a slugging percentage of .471. The Rays as a unit have 287 base hits, including 47 doubles and 32 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 108 times this year and they have struck out on 277 occasions. They have had 228 men left on base and have an OPS of .738. They have scored 4.44 runs per game and totaled 142 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Braves/Rays MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Rays -128

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