Toronto Blue Jays vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, 9/18/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Philadelphia Phillies

Date: Friday, September 18, 2020

Location: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA

TV: RSN/NSPA

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jays (+105) Phillies (-115)

Didi Gregorius and the Philadelphia Phillies (24-24, 3rd in NL East) play the Toronto Blue Jays (26-22, 3rd in AL East) at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. The Phillies open this matchup at -115 while the Blue Jays are coming in at +105. The O/U has been set at 9.5. The pitchers who are expected to start are Robbie Ray and Zach Eflin.

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

9/17/2020 Jacob Waguespack RP Back Out for the season
9/16/2020 Derek Fisher RF Knee Out for the season
9/16/2020 Ken Giles RP Forearm Out for the season
9/15/2020 Elvis Luciano RP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
9/15/2020 Yennsy Diaz RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/11/2020 Nate Pearson SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/11/2020 Matt Shoemaker SP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/11/2020 Jordan Romano RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/9/2020 Rowdy Tellez 1B Knee Out for the season
8/27/2020 Trent Thornton SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

9/17/2020 Scott Kingery 2B Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/16/2020 Jay Bruce LF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/16/2020 J.T C Hip Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/16/2020 Jake Arrieta SP Hamstring Out for the season
9/16/2020 Kyle Garlick RF Oblique Out for the season
9/14/2020 Rhys Hoskins 1B Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/13/2020 Jose Alvarez RP Groin Out for the season
9/13/2020 Spencer Howard SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 23
8/29/2020 David Robertson RP Elbow Out for the season
7/25/2020 Seranthony Dominguez RP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Blue Jays have a 26-22 overall record this season. Ray has taken the hill for 833 frames and has totaled 1,031 strikeouts during his MLB career. His ERA is 4.26 (394 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.380. He has given up 757 base knocks (8.2 hits per nine innings) and has had 393 free passes. Ray (49-50 career mark) has earned a FIP of 4.15 while he has faced 3,605 hitters during his time in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.31 and they have given up 197 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .205 against the bullpen and they've struck out 224 hitters and walked 116 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.46. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 409 base hits and 210 earned runs. They have allowed 69 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 200 batters and struck out 425. They have walked 4.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 4.81.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .251, good for 12th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Cavan Biggio is hitting .243 with an on-base percentage of .363. He has 44 hits this season in 181 at bats with 21 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .414 and an OPS+ of 114. Bo Bichette is hitting .325 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .350. He has totaled 25 hits and he has driven in 14 men in 77 at bats. His OPS+ is 150 while his slugging percentage is at .584. The Blue Jays have 409 hits, including 82 doubles and 71 home runs. Toronto has walked 172 times so far this season and they have struck out 401 times as a unit. They have left 323 men on base and have a team OPS of .758. They score 4.81 runs per contest and have scored a total of 231 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Philadelphia has a 24-24 overall mark this year. Eflin (27-33 career win-loss mark) holds a 4.75 ERA while allowing 9.7 hits per 9 innings. He has a SO/W ratio of 2.96 and he has gone up against 1,986 batters during his career. In his MLB career, Eflin has surrendered 497 base hits and he has 370 punchouts in 460 frames. He has given up a total of 243 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.352 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.7. The bullpen has an earned run average of 7.05 and they have given up 213 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .290 against the Phillies bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 160 batters and walked 72 opposing hitters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 10.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5.13. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 461 base knocks and 229 earned runs this season. They have given up 70 home runs this year, which ranks 6th in Major League Baseball. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 142 hitters and struck out 419 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.50 while their FIP as a staff is 4.59.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 10th in the league. The Phillies hold a .443 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .339, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Didi Gregorius comes into this matchup batting .280 with an OBP of .339. He has 47 hits this year along with 31 RBI in 168 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .482 with an OPS+ of 117. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .253 this season and he has an OBP of .314. He has collected 44 hits in 174 at bats while driving in 30 runs. He has an OPS+ of 92 and a slugging percentage of .408. The Phillies as a unit have 399 base hits, including 76 doubles and 67 homers. Philadelphia has walked 178 times this year and they have struck out on 368 occasions. They have had 324 men left on base and have an OPS of .782. They have scored 5.23 runs per game and totaled 251 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Blue Jays (+105)

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