Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction, 10/18/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Date: Sunday, October 18, 2020

Location: Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Braves (+115) Dodgers (-125)

Ronald Acuna Jr and the Atlanta Braves travel to Globe Life Park on Sunday where they'll take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NLCS. The Dodgers open this contest at -125 while the Braves are coming in at +115. The O/U has been set at 8. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Ian Anderson and Tony Gonsolin.

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

10/13/2020 Adam Duvall LF Oblique 
9/27/2020 Cole Hamels SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021
9/27/2020 Phil Pfeifer RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021
9/27/2020 Jeremy Walker RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021
8/27/2020 Mike Soroka SP Achilles Expected to be out until at least Mar 25, 2021

Key Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

10/17/2020 Chris Taylor SS Ankle 
10/6/2020 Edwin Uceta RP Suspension Suspended until Oct 5
9/30/2020 Caleb Ferguson RP Elbow Out for the season
9/27/2020 Zach Reks LF Undisclosed Out for the season
7/21/2020 Jimmy Nelson SP Back Expected to be out until at least Feb 1, 2021

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Braves had a 35-25 overall record this season. Anderson (3-2 record) holds a FIP of 2.55 while facing 138 batters in the majors. His ERA is 1.96 (7 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.090. He has allowed 21 hits (5.9 hits per 9 innings) with 14 free passes. Anderson has taken the hill for 32 frames and is sitting with 41 punchouts. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.50 and they have given up 242 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .208 against the bullpen and they've struck out 282 hitters and walked 107 batters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.41. The Braves pitchers collectively have given up 494 base hits and 257 earned runs. They have allowed 69 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Atlanta as a pitching staff has walked 220 batters and struck out 506. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.42.

Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Atlanta is hitting .268, good for 2nd in the league. The Braves hold a .483 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .349, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.3 hits per game. Ronald Acuna Jr is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .406. He has 40 hits this season in 160 at bats with 29 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .581 and an OPS+ of 155. Freddie Freeman is hitting .341 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .462. He has totaled 73 hits and he has driven in 53 men in 214 at bats. His OPS+ is 186 while his slugging percentage is at .640. The Braves have 556 hits, including 130 doubles and 103 home runs. Atlanta has walked 239 times so far this season and they have struck out 573 times as a unit. They have left 437 men on base and have a team OPS of .832. They score 5.8 runs per contest and have scored a total of 348 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

So far in his career, Gonsolin has given up 58 base hits and he has 83 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. He has allowed a total of 25 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 0.928 and having a FIP of 3.0. His SO/W ratio is 3.77 and he has faced 339 opposing batters so far in his pro baseball career. Gonsolin (6-4 win-loss mark in his career) has a 2.61 ERA and has given up 6.1 hits per nine innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.74 and they have given up 199 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .188 against the Dodgers bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 258 batters and walked 75 opposing hitters. As a team, Los Angeles allows 7.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.02. The Dodgers pitchers as a team have surrendered 424 base knocks and 181 earned runs this season. They have given up 66 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Los Angeles as a staff has walked 145 hitters and struck out 517 batters. They give up a walk 2.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.06 while their FIP as a staff is 3.79.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 11th in the league. The Dodgers hold a .483 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .338, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. Cody Bellinger comes into this matchup batting .239 with an OBP of .333. He has 51 hits this year along with 30 RBI in 213 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .455 with an OPS+ of 113. Mookie Betts is hitting .292 this season and he has an OBP of .366. He has collected 64 hits in 219 at bats while driving in 39 runs. He has an OPS+ of 149 and a slugging percentage of .562. The Dodgers as a unit have 523 base hits, including 97 doubles and 118 homers. Los Angeles has walked 228 times this year and they have struck out on 471 occasions. They have had 391 men left on base and have an OPS of .821. They have scored 5.82 runs per game and totaled 349 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Braves (+115)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here