Thursday, June 16, 2016

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: J.A. Happ vs. Aaron Nola

The Toronto Blue Jays head to Citizens Bank Park on Thursday to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. The probable pitchers are J.A. Happ for the Blue Jays and Aaron Nola for the Phillies. The opening line for this game has Toronto at -143 and Philadelphia at +133. The over/under is 8. The Blue Jays have a 25-38-4 over/under mark and a 34-33-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Phillies are 31-34-0 against the run line and have a 30-33-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Blue Jays head into this game with a 36-31 record, and they are 18-15 on the road. Starting pitcher J.A. Happ has a 7-3 record with an ERA of 3.70 and a WHIP of 1.19. He has 53 strikeouts during his 82.2 innings pitched and he has given up 74 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.71. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.15 and they have allowed 175 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the pen while they've been struck out 168 times and walked 59 times this year. As a unit, Toronto has given up 8.26 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.47 hitters per nine. They are 8th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.85. The Blue Jays pitchers have collectively given up 553 base hits and 258 earned runs. They have allowed 73 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 206 batters and struck out 500. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 4.17.

As a team, Toronto is hitting .242, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .218 average on the road. The Blue Jays have a .420 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .323 which is good for 14th in the league. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.1 hits per contest. Josh Donaldson comes into this game hitting .263 and his on-base percentage is at .375. He has 64 hits this season along with 52 runs scored and 42 runs batted in. He's struck out 54 times and has walked 42 times. Edwin Encarnacion is hitting .250 and he has an on-base percentage of .329. He has totaled 63 hits so far while scoring 33 runs and he's driven in 56. He has walked 27 times and has struck out 58 times. The Blue Jays have 542 hits, including 114 doubles and 89 home runs. They've stolen 22 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 9 times. Toronto has walked 249 times this season and they've struck out 545 times as a unit. They've left 450 men on base and have a team OPS of .743. They score 4.42 runs per contest and have scored a total of 296 runs so far this year.

Philadelphia comes into this game with a 16-16 home mark and a 30-35 overall record. With an ERA of 2.98, Aaron Nola has a 5-5 record and a 1.04 WHIP. He has 88 strikeouts over the 81.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 69 hits. He has allowed 7.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.75. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.11 and they have given up 194 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the Phillies bullpen while being struck out 201 times and walking 89 times this season. As a team, Philadelphia has allowed 8.61 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.75 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 549 base knocks and 263 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 82 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 190 hitters and struck out 558. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.11.

As a team, they are batting .230, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .223 average at home. The Phillies hold a .368 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .285 which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 30th in baseball with 7.46 hits per contest. Odubel Herrera comes into this matchup batting .311 and he has an OBP of .415. He has 71 hits this year along with 35 runs scored and 22 RBI. He's struck out 48 times and has walked on 39 occasions. Maikel Franco is hitting .252 and he has an OBP of .300. He has collected 57 hits so far while he's scored 19 runs and drove in 33. He has earned a walk 16 times and has punched out 45 times. The Phillies as a unit have 485 base hits, including 84 doubles and 58 homers. They have 27 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 22 times. Philadelphia as a team has walked 152 times this year and they have struck out 523 times. They've had 371 men left on base and have an OPS of .652. They score 3.26 runs per game and have totaled 212 runs so far this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 25-38-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 34-33-0 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 30-33-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 31-34-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

06/15/16 LF Michael Saunders Hamstring injured last game, "?" Wednesday vs. Philadelphia Phillies
05/28/16 SS Troy Tulowitzki Quad 15-day DL (5/27)
05/15/16 P Brett Cecil Tricep 15-day DL (5/15)
04/22/16 1B Chris Colabello Suspension expected to miss 80 games
04/10/16 P Franklin Morales Arm 60-day DL (4/7)
04/04/16 P Bo Schultz Hip 15-day DL (3/25)

Philadelphia Phillies

06/15/16 3B Maikel Franco Knee "?" Wednesday vs. Toronto Blue Jays
06/10/16 P Vincent Velasqez Bicep 15-day DL (6/9)
05/01/16 P Dalier Hinojosa Hand 15-day DL (4/29)
04/24/16 P Charlie Morton Hamstring 60-day DL (4/24); out for season
04/14/16 P Daniel Stumpf Suspension 80-game suspension
03/31/16 LF Aaron Altherr Wrist 60-day DL (4/2)
03/31/16 P Matt Harrison Back 60-day DL (4/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Phillies

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

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald