Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals 5/17/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Vince Velasquez vs. Luke Weaver

The Philadelphia Phillies head to Busch Stadium on Thursday, May 17, 2018 to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The expected starting pitchers are Vince Velasquez for the Phillies and Luke Weaver for the Cardinals.

The odds for this matchup have Philadelphia at +130 and St. Louis at -140. The Phillies have a 18-18-3 over/under mark and a 20-19-0 run line record. The Cardinals are 16-23-0 against the run line and have a 14-21-4 over/under record.

Valuable Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 18-18-3 against the over/under

The Philadelphia Phillies are 20-19-0 against the run line

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 14-21-4 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 16-23-0 against the run line

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

05/08/18 P Adam Morgan Back 10-day DL (05/08)
04/30/18 P Victor Arano Rotator Cuff 10-day DL (04/29)
04/29/18 SS J.P. Crawford Forearm 10-day DL (04/29)
04/27/18 P Ben Lively Back 10-day DL (04/27)
03/30/18 P Pat Neshek Shoulder 10-day DL (03/30)
03/26/18 P Jerad Eickhoff Back 10-day DL (03/26)

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

05/15/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 10-day DL (05/14)
05/12/18 P Tyler Lyons Back 10-day DL (05/09)
05/10/18 P Carlos Martinez Back 10-day DL (05/09)
05/07/18 P Dominic Leone Arm 10-day DL (05/06)
05/06/18 C Yadier Molina Groin 10-day DL (05/06)
03/31/18 P Alex Reyes Elbow 60-day DL (03/31)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Phillies have a 23-16 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez has a 3-4 record with an earned run average of 5.05 and a WHIP of 1.34 this year. He has 50 strikeouts over his 41 innings pitched and he's given up 41 hits. He allows 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.34. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.35 and they have given up 108 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 140 hitters and walked 64 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.44. The Phillies pitchers collectively have given up 304 base hits and 134 earned runs. They have allowed 34 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 128 batters and struck out 345. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 3.67.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia is hitting .242, good for 19th in the league. The Phillies hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 8.0 hits per game. Rhys Hoskins is hitting .268 with an on-base percentage of .414. He has 34 hits this season in 127 at bats with 25 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .472 and an OPS+ of 144. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .262 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .383. He has totaled 38 hits and he has driven in 13 men in 145 at bats. His OPS+ is 115 while his slugging percentage is at .393. The Phillies have 313 hits, including 64 doubles and 43 home runs. Philadelphia has walked 167 times so far this season and they have struck out 378 times as a unit. They have left 274 men on base and have a team OPS of .732. They score 4.72 runs per contest and have scored a total of 184 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 22-17 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.91, Luke Weaver has a 3-2 record and a 1.36 WHIP this season. He has 36 strikeouts over the 40.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 39 hits. He allows 8.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.26. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.79 and they have given up 137 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 133 batters and walked 57 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.35. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 320 base knocks and 132 earned runs this season. They have given up 29 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 138 hitters and struck out 316 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.78.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .230, good for 26th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 7.8 hits per contest. Marcell Ozuna comes into this matchup batting .265 with an OBP of .300. He has 40 hits this year along with 20 RBI in 151 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .358 with an OPS+ of 81. Jose Martinez is hitting .294 this season and he has an OBP of .372. He has collected 40 hits in 136 at bats while driving in 22 runs. He has an OPS+ of 128 and a slugging percentage of .456. The Cardinals as a unit have 296 base hits, including 49 doubles and 49 homers. St. Louis has walked 147 times this year and they have struck out on 343 occasions. They have had 262 men left on base and have an OPS of .701. They have scored 4.29 runs per game and totaled 163 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Phillies +130

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