Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves 3/31/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, March 31, 2018

SunTrust Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Vince Velasquez vs. Brandon McCarthy

SunTrust Park is the site of the matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, March 31, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Vince Velasquez for the Phillies and Brandon McCarthy for the Braves.

Philadelphia opens at +121 while Atlanta opens at -131. The Phillies had a 71-77-14 over/under record and a 90-72-0 run line mark last year. The Braves were 83-79-0 against the run line and had a 81-76-5 over/under record.

Valuable Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies were 71-77-14 against the over/under last season

The Philadelphia Phillies were 90-72-0 against the run line last year

Important Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves were 81-76-5 against the over/under last season

The Atlanta Braves were 83-79-0 against the run line last year

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

03/29/18 P Mark Leiter Forearm 10-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 P Tommy Hunter Hamstring 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jerad Eickhoff Side 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

03/30/18 P Chase Whitley Heel 10-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 C Tyler Flowers Oblique left last game, is questionable vs Philadelphia Phillies
03/26/18 P Grant Dayton Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jacob Lindgren Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 3B Johan Camargo Back 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Luiz Gohara Ankle 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Phillies had a 66-96 overall record last season. Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez had a 2-7 record with an earned run average of 5.13 and a WHIP of 1.50. He had 68 strikeouts over his 72 innings pitched and he gave up 74 hits. He allowed 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 5.52. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.18 and they gave up 535 base hits on the year. Teams hit .249 against the bullpen and they struck out 549 hitters while walking 221 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They were 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.55. The Phillies pitchers collectively gave up 1,471 base hits and 729 earned runs last year. They allowed 221 home runs last season, ranking them 8th in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff walked 527 batters and struck out 1,309. They walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit was 4.56.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia hit .250, good for 20th in the league. The Phillies held a .409 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, which was good for 24th in baseball. They ranked 19th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Cesar Hernandez hit .294 with an on-base percentage of .373 last year. He had 150 hits last season in 511 at bats with 34 runs batted in. He had a slugging percentage of .421 and an OPS+ of 112. Carlos Santana hit .259 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .363. He totaled 148 hits and he drove in 79 men in 571 at bats. His OPS+ was 112 while his slugging percentage was at .455. The Phillies had 1,382 hits last season, including 287 doubles and 174 home runs. Philadelphia walked 494 times last year and they struck out 1,417 times as a unit. They left 1,079 men on base and had a team OPS of .723. They scored 4.26 runs per contest and scored a total of 690 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Atlanta had a 72-90 overall mark last year. With an earned run average of 3.98, Brandon McCarthy had a 6-4 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He had 72 strikeouts over the 92.2 innings he pitched. He also gave up 89 hits. He allowed 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.28. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.58 and they gave up 493 base hits on the year. Teams hit .243 against the Braves bullpen. Their relievers struck out 501 batters and walked 225 opposing hitters. As a team, Atlanta allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They were 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.72. The Braves pitchers as a team surrendered 1,463 base knocks and 756 earned runs last season. They gave up 192 home runs last year, which ranked 21st in Major League Baseball. Atlanta as a staff walked 584 hitters and struck out 1,258 batters. They gave up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.42 while their FIP as a staff was 4.51.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .263, good for 6th in the league. The Braves held a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which was good for 14th in baseball. They ranked 6th in MLB with 9.1 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman comes into this matchup after batting .307 with an OBP of .403 last season. He had 135 hits last year along with 71 RBI in 440 AB's. He maintained a slugging percentage of .586 with an OPS+ of 157. Ender Inciarte hit .304 last season and he had an OBP of .350. He collected 201 hits in 662 at bats while driving in 57 runs. He had an OPS+ of 100 and a slugging percentage of .409. The Braves as a unit had 1,467 base hits last season, including 289 doubles and 165 homers. Atlanta walked 474 times last year and they struck out on 1,184 occasions. They left 1,127 men on base and had an OPS of .738. They scored 4.52 runs per game and totaled 732 runs last year.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Phillies +121

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