Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals 5/18/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, May 18, 2018

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jake Arrieta vs. Michael Wacha

The Philadelphia Phillies visit Busch Stadium on Friday, May 18, 2018 to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jake Arrieta for the Phillies and Michael Wacha for the Cardinals.

The opening line for this matchup has Philadelphia at +115 and St. Louis at -125. The Phillies have a 18-19-3 over/under record and a 21-19-0 run line mark. The Cardinals are 17-23-0 against the run line and have a 15-21-4 over/under record.

Valuable Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 18-19-3 against the over/under

The Philadelphia Phillies are 21-19-0 against the run line

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 15-21-4 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 17-23-0 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

05/16/18 P Luke Gregerson Shoulder 10-day DL (05/16)
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 24-16 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 2.59 and a WHIP of 1.06 this season. He has 27 strikeouts over his 41.2 innings pitched and he's given up 30 hits. He's allowed 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.48. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.30 and they have given up 110 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 142 hitters and walked 65 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.38. The Phillies pitchers collectively have given up 308 base hits and 135 earned runs. They have allowed 35 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 130 batters and struck out 358. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.22 and their FIP as a unit is 3.64.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia is hitting .242, good for 17th in the league. The Phillies hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .267 with an on-base percentage of .383. He has 40 hits this season in 150 at bats with 14 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .427 and an OPS+ of 124. Rhys Hoskins is hitting .265 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .407. He has totaled 35 hits and he has driven in 26 men in 132 at bats. His OPS+ is 142 while his slugging percentage is at .470. The Phillies have 322 hits, including 66 doubles and 44 home runs. Philadelphia has walked 170 times so far this season and they have struck out 386 times as a unit. They have left 281 men on base and have a team OPS of .733. They score 4.7 runs per contest and have scored a total of 188 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 23-17 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.09, Michael Wacha has a 4-1 record and a 1.33 WHIP. He has 36 strikeouts over the 43.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 39 hits. He's allowing 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.76. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 140 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 137 batters and walked 60 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.42. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 339 base knocks and 141 earned runs this season. They have given up 31 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 144 hitters and struck out 327 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.81.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .230, good for 27th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .383 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.8 hits per contest. Jose Martinez comes into this matchup batting .292 with an OBP of .370. He has 42 hits this year along with 23 RBI in 144 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .451 with an OPS+ of 126. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .250 this season and he has an OBP of .284. He has collected 40 hits in 160 at bats while driving in 20 runs. He has an OPS+ of 72 and a slugging percentage of .338. The Cardinals as a unit have 311 base hits, including 53 doubles and 50 homers. St. Louis has walked 154 times this year and they have struck out on 365 occasions. They have had 275 men left on base and have an OPS of .697. They have scored 4.28 runs per game and totaled 171 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals -125

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