Sunday, April 9, 2017

Citizens Bank Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Stephen Strasburg vs. Jeremy Hellickson

The Washington Nationals head to Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, April 9, 2017 to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. The starters are Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals and Jeremy Hellickson for the Phillies.

The opening line for this game has Washington at -156 and Philadelphia at +146. The Nationals have a 2-2-0 over/under record and a 2-2-0 run line mark. The Phillies are 2-2-0 against the run line and have a 2-2-0 over/under record.

Valuable Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 2-2-0 against the over/under

The Washington Nationals are 2-2-0 against the run line

Important Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 2-2-0 against the over/under

The Philadelphia Phillies are 2-2-0 against the run line

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

04/02/17 P Zach Eflin Knee 10-day DL (03/30)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Nationals have a 3-1 overall record this year. Starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg had a 15-4 record with an earned run average of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.10. He had 183 strikeouts over his 147.2 innings pitched and he gave up 119 hits last season. He allowed 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 2.92. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.37 and they gave up 429 base hits on the year. Teams hit .230 against the bullpen while being struck out 489 times and walking 164 times last season. As a team, Washington allowed 7.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They were 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.51. The Nationals pitchers collectively gave up 1,272 base hits and 570 earned runs. They allowed 155 home runs last season and they allowed 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff walked 468 batters and struck out 1,476. They walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.19 and their FIP as a unit was 3.58.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other MLB games check out our handicapping tips.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Washington batted .256, good for 17th in the league. The Nationals held a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326 which was good for 10th in baseball. They ranked 20th in baseball with 8.66 hits per game. Bryce Harper is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .243 with an on-base percentage of .373. He had 123 hits last season along with 84 runs scored and 86 runs batted in. He struck out 117 times and walked 108 times. Daniel Murphy hit .347 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .390. He totaled 184 hits while scoring 88 runs and he drove in 104. He walked 35 times and struck out on 57 occasions. The Nationals had 1,403 hits, including 268 doubles and 203 home runs. They stole 121 bases and were thrown out stealing 39 times. Washington walked 536 times last season and they struck out 1,252 times as a unit. They left 1,105 men on base and had a team OPS of .751. They scored 4.71 runs per contest and scored a total of 763 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Philadelphia has a 1-3 overall mark this season. With an earned run average of 3.71, Jeremy Hellickson had a 12-10 record and a 1.15 WHIP last season. He had 154 strikeouts over the 189 innings he pitched during which he gave up 173 hits. He allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.98. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 5.05 and they gave up 556 base hits on the year. Teams hit .266 against the Phillies bullpen while being struck out 513 times and walking 218 times last season. As a team, Philadelphia allowed 9.19 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.14 batters per nine innings. They were 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.63. The Phillies pitchers as a team surrendered 1,468 base knocks and 739 earned runs last season. They gave up 213 home runs last year and they gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a staff walked 466 hitters and struck out 1,299. They gave up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.35 while their FIP as a staff was 4.35.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .240, good for 29th in the league. The Phillies held a .384 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .301 which was good for 29th in baseball. They ranked 28th in baseball with 8.06 hits per contest. Odubel Herrera comes into this matchup after batting .286 with an OBP of .361. He had 167 hits last year along with 87 runs scored and 49 RBI. He struck out 134 times and walked on 63 occasions. Cesar Hernandez hit .294 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .371. He collected 161 hits while scoring 67 runs and driving in 39. He earned a walk 66 times and punched out 116 times. The Phillies as a unit had 1,306 base hits, including 231 doubles and 161 homers. They had 96 stolen bases and were thrown out 45 times. Philadelphia as a team walked 424 times last year and they struck out 1,376 times. They had 1,043 men left on base and had an OPS of .685. They scored 3.77 runs per game and totaled 610 runs last season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Nationals -156

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