Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals 5/20/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Busch Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Aaron Nola vs. Jack Flaherty

The Philadelphia Phillies visit Busch Stadium on Sunday, May 20, 2018 to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Aaron Nola for the Phillies and Jack Flaherty for the Cardinals.

The opening line for this matchup has Philadelphia at +125 and St. Louis at -147. The Phillies have a 19-20-3 over/under record and a 22-20-0 run line mark. The Cardinals are 18-24-0 against the run line and have a 16-22-4 over/under record.

Valuable Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 19-20-3 against the over/under

The Philadelphia Phillies are 22-20-0 against the run line

Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 16-22-4 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 18-24-0 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

05/19/18 P Matt Bowman Finger 10-day DL (05/17)
05/18/18 3B Paul DeJong Hand 10-day DL (05/18)
05/17/18 C Carson Kelly Hamstring 10-day DL (05/17)
05/16/18 P Luke Gregerson Shoulder 10-day DL (05/16)
05/15/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 60-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 25-17 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Aaron Nola has a 6-1 record with an earned run average of 1.99 and a WHIP of 0.99 this season. He has 51 strikeouts over his 58.2 innings pitched and he's given up 45 hits. He's allowed 6.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.79. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.75 and they have given up 125 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the bullpen and they've struck out 145 hitters and walked 69 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.51. The Phillies pitchers collectively have given up 333 base hits and 147 earned runs. They have allowed 38 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 138 batters and struck out 367. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.25 and their FIP as a unit is 3.74.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia is hitting .243, good for 17th in the league. The Phillies hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .277 with an on-base percentage of .386. He has 44 hits this season in 159 at bats with 15 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .447 and an OPS+ of 130. Rhys Hoskins is hitting .257 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .398. He has totaled 36 hits and he has driven in 26 men in 140 at bats. His OPS+ is 134 while his slugging percentage is at .450. The Phillies have 340 hits, including 68 doubles and 48 home runs. Philadelphia has walked 174 times so far this season and they have struck out 403 times as a unit. They have left 293 men on base and have a team OPS of .733. They score 4.71 runs per contest and have scored a total of 198 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

St. Louis has a 24-18 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.87, Jack Flaherty has a 0-1 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 14 strikeouts over the 15.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 15 hits. He's allowing 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.33. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.14 and they have given up 149 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .252 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 140 batters and walked 61 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.49. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 357 base knocks and 151 earned runs this season. They have given up 35 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 148 hitters and struck out 344 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .236, good for 22nd in the league. The Cardinals hold a .390 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Jose Martinez comes into this matchup batting .320 with an OBP of .394. He has 49 hits this year along with 28 RBI in 153 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .497 with an OPS+ of 146. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .240 this season and he has an OBP of .281. He has collected 40 hits in 167 at bats while driving in 21 runs. He has an OPS+ of 67 and a slugging percentage of .323. The Cardinals as a unit have 336 base hits, including 57 doubles and 53 homers. St. Louis has walked 162 times this year and they have struck out on 374 occasions. They have had 293 men left on base and have an OPS of .710. They have scored 4.4 runs per game and totaled 185 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals -147

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