Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Prediction, 8/22/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2020

Location: Truist Park in Cumberland, GA

TV: NSPA

Odds/Point Spread: Phillies (-130) Braves (+120)

Truist Park is the venue where Austin Riley and the Atlanta Braves (14-11, 1st in NL East) will take on the Philadelphia Phillies (9-12, 4th in NL East) on Saturday. The Braves open this contest at +120 while the Phillies are coming in at -130. The total is set at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Zack Wheeler and Robbie Erlin.

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

8/21/2020 Ranger Suarez RP Illness Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/21/2020 Jose Alvarez RP Groin Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
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 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 9-12 overall record this season. Wheeler has thrown 775 innings and has totaled 738 punchouts so far in his career. His earned run average is 3.74 (322 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.292. He has surrendered 725 base knocks (8.4 hits per 9 innings) and has had 276 free passes. Wheeler (47-38 record in his career) sits with a FIP of 3.75 while facing 3,283 opposing hitters during his time in the major leagues. The bullpen has an earned run average of 8.07 and they have given up 99 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .309 against the bullpen and they've struck out 68 hitters and walked 29 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 10.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.6 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.58. The Phillies pitchers collectively have given up 205 base hits and 108 earned runs. They have allowed 32 home runs this season, ranking them 16th in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 62 batters and struck out 185. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.53 and their FIP as a unit is 4.62.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia is hitting .261, good for 5th in the league. The Phillies hold a .457 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. J.T. Realmuto is hitting .274 with an on-base percentage of .329. He has 20 hits this season in 73 at bats with 21 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .630 and an OPS+ of 154. Didi Gregorius is hitting .315 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .358. He has totaled 23 hits and he has driven in 15 men in 73 at bats. His OPS+ is 127 while his slugging percentage is at .479. The Phillies have 178 hits, including 33 doubles and 30 home runs. Philadelphia has walked 79 times so far this season and they have struck out 159 times as a unit. They have left 143 men on base and have a team OPS of .800. They score 5.52 runs per contest and have scored a total of 116 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Atlanta has a 14-11 overall mark this year. In his career, Erlin has surrendered 351 base knocks while earning 267 punchouts in 327 innings pitched. He has given up 167 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.270 and having a FIP of 3.7. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 4.17 and he has faced 1,363 opposing hitters thus far in his career. Erlin (13-20 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a 4.60 ERA while conceding 9.7 hits per nine innings. 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 24th 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 4.43.

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 14th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Austin Riley comes into this matchup batting .167 with an OBP of .222. He has 11 hits this year along with 11 RBI in 66 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .318 with an OPS+ of 42. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .261 this season and he has an OBP of .371. He has collected 23 hits in 88 at bats while driving in 13 runs. He has an OPS+ of 127 and a slugging percentage of .489. 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?

Guy's Pick: Take the Phillies (-130)

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