Toronto Blue Jays vs Atlanta Braves Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/4/2020

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Atlanta Braves

Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Location: Truist Park in Cumberland, GA

TV: RSN/FSSE

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jays (+130) Braves (-150)

Dansby Swanson and the Atlanta Braves (7-3, 1st in NL East) host the Toronto Blue Jays (3-4, 3rd in AL East) at Truist Park on Tuesday. The Blue Jays open this game at +130 while the Braves are coming in at -150. The over/under is set at 9. The starting pitchers will be Matt Shoemaker and Max Fried.

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

8/2/2020 Chase Anderson SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 5
7/31/2020 Randal Grichuk CF Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 4
7/31/2020 Derek Fisher RF Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 4
7/30/2020 Elvis Luciano RP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 4
7/30/2020 Hector Perez SP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 5
7/30/2020 Yennsy Diaz RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
7/28/2020 Ken Giles RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 1

Key Atlanta Braves Injuries

8/2/2020 Will Smith RP Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
7/23/2020 Cole Hamels SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/21/2020 Phil Pfeifer RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 4
7/21/2020 Jacob Webb RP Shoulder 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 Blue Jays have a 3-4 overall record this season. Shoemaker (43-32 win-loss record in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 3.97 while he has gone up against 2,385 opposing batters during his time in the major leagues. His earned run average is 3.79 (244 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.184. He has surrendered 546 base hits (8.5 hits per nine innings) with 140 walks. Shoemaker has taken the ball for 579 innings and has totaled 518 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.41 and they have given up 22 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .167 against the bullpen and they've struck out 31 hitters and walked 18 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 7.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.29. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 51 base hits and 23 earned runs. They have allowed 3 home runs this season, ranking them 30th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 30 batters and struck out 60. They have walked 4.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.24.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .234, good for 18th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .285, which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr is hitting .172 with an on-base percentage of .200. He has 5 hits this season in 29 at bats with 1 run batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .276 and an OPS+ of 36. Cavan Biggio is hitting .200 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .250. He has totaled 6 hits and he has driven in 4 men in 30 at bats. His OPS+ is 84 while his slugging percentage is at .400. The Blue Jays have 58 hits, including 7 doubles and 11 home runs. Toronto has walked 19 times so far this season and they have struck out 63 times as a unit. They have left 50 men on base and have a team OPS of .688. They score 3.57 runs per contest and have scored a total of 25 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Atlanta has a 7-3 overall mark this year. During his MLB career, Fried has given up 235 base knocks while he has earned 251 punchouts in 236 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 99 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.342 and a FIP of 3.8. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.06 and he has gone up against 1,008 opposing batters in his pro baseball career. Fried (20-11 career win-loss record) has a 3.77 ERA while giving up 9.0 hits per nine innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.07 and they have given up 43 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the Braves bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 52 batters and walked 10 opposing hitters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.5 batters per nine innings. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 3.89. The Braves pitchers as a team have surrendered 81 base knocks and 38 earned runs this season. They have given up 9 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Atlanta as a staff has walked 33 hitters and struck out 93 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.63.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .239, good for 15th in the league. The Braves hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Dansby Swanson comes into this matchup batting .368 with an OBP of .400. He has 14 hits this year along with 11 RBI in 38 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .605 with an OPS+ of 171. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .324 this season and he has an OBP of .439. He has collected 11 hits in 34 at bats while driving in 6 runs. He has an OPS+ of 200 and a slugging percentage of .676. The Braves as a unit have 80 base hits, including 24 doubles and 12 homers. Atlanta has walked 34 times this year and they have struck out on 112 occasions. They have had 61 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They have scored 5.7 runs per game and totaled 57 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Blue Jays (+130)

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