Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 5/23/2019

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Oracle Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Kevin Gausman vs. Madison Bumgarner

Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves (26-23, 2nd in NL East) are headed to Oracle Park on Thursday where they'll meet the San Francisco Giants (21-26, 5th in NL West). The Giants open this matchup at -115 while the Braves are priced at +105. The over/under is set at 7.5.

The Braves have been a decent play for MLB bettors, having gone 26-23-0 SU. The Giants cover 44.7% of the time, going 21-26-0 straight up. The Giants have been terrible for Las Vegas as the favorite, going 5-1-0 SU. Atlanta has went 7-11-0 straight up as an underdog, so they cover 38.9% of the time.

Valuable Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Braves have been a dicey Under play for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 24-23-2.

Atlanta covers 52.2% of the time as the visitor, having gone 12-11-0 straight up.

Important San Francisco Giants Betting Trends

The Giants cover 43.5% of the time at Oracle Park, going 10-13-0 SU.

The Giants have been a less than ideal Over play for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 22-23-2.

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

05/15/19 CF Ender Inciarte Back 10-day IL (05/15)
04/30/19 P Chad Sobotka Abdominal 10-day IL (04/29)
04/29/19 P Arodys Vizcaino Shoulder 60-day IL (04/28); is out for season
03/25/19 P Darren O'Day Arm 10-day IL (03/25)

Key San Francisco Giants Injuries

05/22/19 P Travis Bergen Shoulder 10-day IL (05/21)
03/28/19 P Johnny Cueto Elbow is out for season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Braves have a 26-23 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 4.31 and a WHIP of 1.25 this season. He has 50 strikeouts over his 48 innings pitched and he's given up 41 hits. He's allowed 7.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.67. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.59 and they have given up 172 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .254 against the bullpen and they've struck out 182 hitters and walked 94 batters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.28. The Braves pitchers collectively have given up 402 base hits and 207 earned runs. They have allowed 63 home runs this season, ranking them 14th in the league. Atlanta as a pitching staff has walked 196 batters and struck out 419. They have walked 4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.56.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Atlanta is hitting .261, good for 3rd in the league. The Braves hold a .442 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. Freddie Freeman is hitting .316 with an on-base percentage of .405. He has 59 hits this season in 187 at bats with 30 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .567 and an OPS+ of 156. Ozzie Albies is hitting .259 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .312. He has totaled 52 hits and he has driven in 21 men in 201 at bats. His OPS+ is 94 while his slugging percentage is at .423. The Braves have 435 hits, including 78 doubles and 66 home runs. Atlanta has walked 184 times so far this season and they have struck out 398 times as a unit. They have left 355 men on base and have a team OPS of .779. They score 4.86 runs per contest and have scored a total of 238 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

San Francisco has a 21-26 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.21, Madison Bumgarner has a 3-4 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 64 strikeouts over the 62 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 62 hits. He's allowing 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.54. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.54 and they have given up 148 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .219 against the Giants bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 187 batters and walked 66 opposing hitters. As a team, San Francisco allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.45. The Giants pitchers as a team have surrendered 388 base knocks and 207 earned runs this season. They have given up 65 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. San Francisco as a staff has walked 157 hitters and struck out 406 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 4.44.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .222, good for 26th in the league. The Giants hold a .369 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .285, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 7.4 hits per contest. Steven Duggar comes into this matchup batting .246 with an OBP of .289. He has 43 hits this year along with 21 RBI in 175 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .360 with an OPS+ of 79. Joe Panik is hitting .254 this season and he has an OBP of .349. He has collected 36 hits in 142 at bats while driving in 15 runs. He has an OPS+ of 96 and a slugging percentage of .352. The Giants as a unit have 348 base hits, including 83 doubles and 45 homers. San Francisco has walked 130 times this year and they have struck out on 420 occasions. They have had 281 men left on base and have an OPS of .654. They have scored 3.83 runs per game and totaled 180 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Braves +105

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