Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: R.A. Dickey (7-10) vs. Aaron Nola (3-1)

The Toronto Blue Jays visit Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday to play the Philadelphia Phillies. The probable starters are R.A. Dickey for the Blue Jays and Aaron Nola for the Phillies. The opening line for this matchup has Toronto at -190 and Philadelphia at +180. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Blue Jays, with a 65-54 run line record, cover the spread 55% of the time. They also have a 53-58 over/under record. The Phillies are 59-59 against the run line and have a 61-47 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Blue Jays come into this game with a 65-54 record, and they are 25-31 away from home. R.A. Dickey has an earned run average of 3.96 and is 7-10 so far on the season while having a 1.24 WHIP. He's pitched 157 innings thus far while surrendering 142 hits over that time and when he starts, the Blue Jays are 12-12. Against the over/under, the Blue Jays are 10-11 in his starts. He is getting 4.2 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.20 and they have given up 281 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 341 and walked 93 batters this season while opposing teams hit .218 against them. Toronto has a team average of 8.4 hits allowed per game and are averaging 6.99 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.76, they are 13th in the league.

As a team, Toronto is batting .261, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Blue Jays hold a .440 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 2nd in baseball. With 134 hits, Josh Donaldson leads the team while his team ranks 10th in hits per game with 8.76.

With a 46-72 overall record, Philadelphia will come into this game 27-29 at home. Aaron Nola is starting this game 3-1 for the season with an earned run average of 4.25 and a WHIP of 1.21. He's pitched 29.2 innings thus far while surrendering 30 hits over that time in which the Phillies are 4-1. Against the over/under, the Phillies are 4-1 when he starts. He is getting 6.8 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.52 and they have given up 393 base hits on the year. The Phillies bullpen has struck out 385 batters and walked 161 this season while opposing teams have hit .256 against them. Philadelphia has a team average of 10.12 hits per game and are averaging 7.25 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 4.70, they are 29th in the league.

As a team, they are batting .252, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .253 average at home. The Phillies hold a .378 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302 which is good for 27th in baseball. With 120 hits, Ben Revere leads the team while his team ranks 13th in hits per game with 8.64.

Toronto has a team fielding percentage of .985 after having committed 66 errors with 1,177 assists and 3,174 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Phillies have accumlated 78 errors while having 1156 assists and 3,120 put outs leading to a .982 fielding percentage.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 53-58 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 65-54 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 61-47 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 59-59 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

07/29/15 2B Devon Travis Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/29)
05/10/15 RF Michael Saunders Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/10)
04/06/15 2B Maicer Izturis Groin Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)
04/06/15 P Marcus Stroman Knee Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)

Philadelphia Phillies

07/21/15 P Chad Billingsley Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/19)
04/06/15 P Jonathan Pettibone Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)
04/06/15 P Mario Hollands Arch Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)
04/04/15 P Cliff Lee Arm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/16)

Josh's Pick: Take the Phillies

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