Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Prediction, 8/21/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves

Date: Friday, August 21, 2020

Location: Truist Park in Cumberland, GA

TV: NSPA

Odds/Point Spread: Phillies (+123) Braves (-133)

Rhys Hoskins and the Philadelphia Phillies (9-10, 3rd in NL East) go to Truist Park on Friday where they'll meet the Atlanta Braves (14-11, 1st in NL East). The Braves open this contest at -133 while the Phillies are priced at +123. The over/under opens at 8.5. The men taking the mound are Aaron Nola and Max Fried.

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

8/20/2020 Jose Alvarez RP Groin Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/19/2020 Jay Bruce LF Leg Probable for Aug 20
8/18/2020 Ranger Suarez RP Illness Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/13/2020 Adam Haseley CF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/11/2020 David Robertson RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
7/25/2020 Seranthony Dominguez RP Elbow Out for the season

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

8/18/2020 Chris Martin RP Neck Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/18/2020 Nick Markakis RF Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/15/2020 Ronald Acuna RF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/13/2020 Ozzie Albies 2B Wrist Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/4/2020 Mike Soroka SP Achilles Out for the season
7/23/2020 Cole Hamels SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/21/2020 Jacob Webb RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 4
7/21/2020 Phil Pfeifer RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 4
6/26/2020 Jeremy Walker RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Phillies have a 9-10 overall record this season. Nola (55-36 career win-loss mark) has a FIP of 3.44 while he has gone up against 3,270 batters during his time in the major leagues. His earned run average is 3.44 (305 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.155. He has surrendered 682 base hits (7.7 hits per nine innings) with 239 free passes. Nola has taken the hill for 797 innings and has accumulated 863 K's so far in his career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 8.11 and they have given up 90 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .306 against the bullpen and they've struck out 66 hitters and walked 25 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 10.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.5 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.56. The Phillies pitchers collectively have given up 186 base hits and 100 earned runs. They have allowed 29 home runs this season, ranking them 16th in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 54 batters and struck out 171. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.48 and their FIP as a unit is 4.49.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia is hitting .260, good for 5th in the league. The Phillies hold a .463 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .344, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Rhys Hoskins is hitting .207 with an on-base percentage of .425. He has 12 hits this season in 58 at bats with 7 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .328 and an OPS+ of 111. Bryce Harper is hitting .349 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .474. He has totaled 22 hits and he has driven in 15 men in 63 at bats. His OPS+ is 208 while his slugging percentage is at .667. The Phillies have 163 hits, including 30 doubles and 29 home runs. Philadelphia has walked 75 times so far this season and they have struck out 139 times as a unit. They have left 133 men on base and have a team OPS of .807. They score 5.58 runs per contest and have scored a total of 106 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Atlanta has a 14-11 overall mark this year. Fried (22-11 win-loss record in his career) is the owner of a 3.54 ERA and has conceded 8.7 hits per 9 innings. His SO/W ratio is 3.03 and he has faced 1,075 hitters in his pro baseball career. Thus far in his career, Fried has conceded 247 hits while accumulating 267 K's in 254 innings pitched. He has conceded 100 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.318 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.7. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.51 and they have given up 102 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the Braves bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 116 batters and walked 40 opposing hitters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.42. The Braves pitchers as a team have surrendered 196 base knocks and 105 earned runs this season. They have given up 27 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Atlanta as a staff has walked 97 hitters and struck out 206 batters. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 4.40.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 10th in the league. The Braves hold a .440 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman comes into this matchup batting .287 with an OBP of .398. He has 25 hits this year along with 14 RBI in 87 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .529 with an OPS+ of 144. Dansby Swanson is hitting .303 this season and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 30 hits in 99 at bats while driving in 16 runs. He has an OPS+ of 112 and a slugging percentage of .465. The Braves as a unit have 213 base hits, including 54 doubles and 34 homers. Atlanta has walked 81 times this year and they have struck out on 250 occasions. They have had 166 men left on base and have an OPS of .762. They have scored 4.96 runs per game and totaled 124 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Braves (-133)

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