Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Dodgers Expert MLB Picks 8/20/2019
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Dodger Stadium
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Sean Reid-Foley vs. Clayton Kershaw
Justin Smoak and the Toronto Blue Jays (52-75, 4th in AL East) head to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday where they'll take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (82-44, 1st in NL West). The Blue Jays open this game at +263 while the Dodgers are priced at -295. The total has been set at 8.5.
The Blue Jays have been a lousy option for baseball wagerers, having gone 52-75-0 SU. The Dodgers cover 65.1% of the time, going 82-44-0 straight up.
Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends
The Blue Jays have been a pretty good Under choice for over/under wagerers, having gone 58-64-5.
The Blue Jays cover 42.9% of the time as the road team, having gone 27-36-0 straight up.
Important Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Trends
Los Angeles covers 75.0% of the time at Dodger Stadium, going 48-16-0 SU.
The Dodgers have been a pretty good Under choice for over/under wagerers, having gone 60-61-5.
Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries
8/18/2019 Vladimir Guerrero 3B Knee Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/16/2019 Lourdes Gurriel LF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 30
8/13/2019 Nick Kingham RP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/11/2019 Ryan Borucki SP Elbow Out for the season
8/9/2019 Elvis Luciano RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
8/7/2019 Clay Buchholz SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/7/2019 Clayton Richard SP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/7/2019 Devon Travis 2B Knee Out for the season
8/7/2019 Ryan Tepera RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/27/2019 Luke Maile C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
7/22/2019 Matt Shoemaker SP Knee Out for the season
Key Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries
8/18/2019 Ross Stripling RP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/16/2019 Enrique Hernandez 2B Hand Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/16/2019 Chris Taylor LF Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/13/2019 Tyler White 1B Upper Body Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/6/2019 Alex Verdugo CF Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/4/2019 David Freese 1B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/2/2019 Scott Alexander RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
7/14/2019 Rich Hill SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Blue Jays have a 52-75 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Sean Reid-Foley has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.57 this season. He has 26 strikeouts over his 30 innings pitched and he's given up 28 hits. He's allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.89. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.15 and they have given up 502 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .241 against the bullpen and they've struck out 554 hitters and walked 229 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.68. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 1,139 base hits and 587 earned runs. They have allowed 177 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 463 batters and struck out 1,031. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.42 and their FIP as a unit is 4.80.
Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Toronto is hitting .237, good for 29th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .428 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .304, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 30th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Justin Smoak is hitting .212 with an on-base percentage of .352. He has 73 hits this season in 344 at bats with 52 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .413 and an OPS+ of 105. Randal Grichuk is hitting .240 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .295. He has totaled 109 hits and he has driven in 58 men in 454 at bats. His OPS+ is 95 while his slugging percentage is at .449. The Blue Jays have 1,024 hits, including 209 doubles and 195 home runs. Toronto has walked 392 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,157 times as a unit. They have left 775 men on base and have a team OPS of .732. They score 4.54 runs per contest and have scored a total of 577 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Los Angeles has a 82-44 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.63, Clayton Kershaw has a 12-2 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 141 strikeouts over the 137 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 109 hits. He's allowing 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.22. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.18 and they have given up 342 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Dodgers bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 400 batters and walked 140 opposing hitters. As a team, Los Angeles allows 7.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.35. The Dodgers pitchers as a team have surrendered 950 base knocks and 418 earned runs this season. They have given up 141 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Los Angeles as a staff has walked 293 hitters and struck out 1,148 batters. They give up a walk 2.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.11 while their FIP as a staff is 3.72.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .261, good for 9th in the league. The Dodgers hold a .475 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Cody Bellinger comes into this matchup batting .317 with an OBP of .415. He has 139 hits this year along with 97 RBI in 438 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .671 with an OPS+ of 180. Max Muncy is hitting .258 this season and he has an OBP of .369. He has collected 108 hits in 419 at bats while driving in 85 runs. He has an OPS+ of 133 and a slugging percentage of .527. The Dodgers as a unit have 1,114 base hits, including 232 doubles and 218 homers. Los Angeles has walked 485 times this year and they have struck out on 1,029 occasions. They have had 903 men left on base and have an OPS of .817. They have scored 5.5 runs per game and totaled 693 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Blue Jays/Dodgers MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Dodgers
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