St. Louis Cardinals vs Atlanta Braves MLB Game 2 Picks 10/4/2019

Friday, October 4, 2019
SunTrust Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Jack Flaherty vs. Mike Foltynewicz
Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves (97-65, 1st in NL East) play the St. Louis Cardinals (91-71, 1st in NL Central) at SunTrust Park on Friday in Game 2 of the NLDS. The odds on this contest have the Cardinals coming in at +130 and the Braves are at -150. The O/U has been set at 8.
The Cardinals have been an excellent bet for bettors, having gone 91-71-0 SU. Atlanta is covering 59.9% of the time, going 97-65-0 straight up.
Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
The Cardinals have been a solid Over pick for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 69-84-9.
St. Louis is covering 50.6% of the time as the away team, having gone 40-39-0 straight up.
Important Atlanta Braves Betting Trends
Atlanta is covering 61.7% of the time at SunTrust Park, going 50-31-0 SU.
The Braves have been a solid Over pick for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 76-78-8.
Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports
Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries
9/29/2019 Kolten Wong 2B Hamstring Probable for Oct 3
9/27/2019 Michael Wacha SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Oct 14
9/18/2019 Brett Cecil RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Nov 1
9/1/2019 Lane Thomas CF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Nov 1
7/11/2019 Jordan Hicks RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1, 2020
6/26/2019 Tony Cingrani RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Feb 10, 2020
Key Atlanta Braves Injuries
10/2/2019 Ronald Acuna CF Hip Probable for Oct 3
9/29/2019 Josh Donaldson 3B Hip Probable for Oct 3
9/27/2019 Ender Inciarte CF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Oct 13
9/18/2019 Johan Camargo SS Lower Leg Expected to be out until at least Oct 10
9/17/2019 Charlie Culberson LF Face Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020
9/12/2019 A.J RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jan 1, 2020
9/5/2019 Alex Jackson C Knee Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020
8/19/2019 Jacob Webb RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2020
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Cardinals have a 91-71 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty has a 11-8 record with an earned run average of 2.75 and a WHIP of 0.97 this season. He has 231 strikeouts over his 196.1 innings pitched and he's given up 135 hits. He's allowed 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.46. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.88 and they have given up 450 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 607 hitters and walked 235 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.8. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 1,284 base hits and 609 earned runs. They have allowed 191 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 545 batters and struck out 1,399. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 4.27.
Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team St. Louis is hitting .245, good for 23rd in the league. The Cardinals hold a .415 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Paul DeJong is hitting .233 with an on-base percentage of .318. He has 136 hits this season in 583 at bats with 78 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .444 and an OPS+ of 97. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .260 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .346. He has totaled 155 hits and he has driven in 97 men in 597 at bats. His OPS+ is 113 while his slugging percentage is at .476. The Cardinals have 1,337 hits, including 246 doubles and 210 home runs. St. Louis has walked 561 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,420 times as a unit. They have left 1,107 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.72 runs per contest and have scored a total of 764 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Atlanta has a 97-65 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.54, Mike Foltynewicz has a 8-6 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 105 strikeouts over the 117 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 109 hits. He's allowing 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.97. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.21 and they have given up 559 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Braves bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 598 batters and walked 243 opposing hitters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Braves pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,421 base knocks and 675 earned runs this season. They have given up 203 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Atlanta as a staff has walked 548 hitters and struck out 1,393 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.39.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .258, good for 9th in the league. The Braves hold a .452 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman comes into this matchup batting .295 with an OBP of .389. He has 176 hits this year along with 121 RBI in 597 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .549 with an OPS+ of 136. Ronald Acuna Jr is hitting .280 this season and he has an OBP of .365. He has collected 175 hits in 626 at bats while driving in 101 runs. He has an OPS+ of 122 and a slugging percentage of .518. The Braves as a unit have 1,432 base hits, including 277 doubles and 249 homers. Atlanta has walked 619 times this year and they have struck out on 1,467 occasions. They have had 1,138 men left on base and have an OPS of .789. They have scored 5.28 runs per game and totaled 855 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Braves MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Braves (-150)
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