St. Louis Cardinals vs Atlanta Braves Prediction, 6/18/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Atlanta Braves

Date: Friday, June 18, 2021

Location: Truist Park in Cumberland, GA

TV: Bally Sports South

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+110) Atlanta (-141)

Truist Park is the venue where Max Fried and the Atlanta Braves (30-35, 3rd in NL East) will take on the St. Louis Cardinals (35-33, 4th in NL Central) on Friday. The Cardinals open this contest at +110 while the Braves are priced at -141. The O/U has been set at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start are Carlos Martinez and Max Fried.

As a team, the St. Louis Cardinals are recording 4.1 runs per contest, which ranks them 20th in MLB. They have 277 runs and hold an on-base percentage of .301. The Cardinals have accumulated 106 doubles as a team and have knocked 75 baseballs out of the stadium. They have accounted for 262 RBI's and 514 base knocks for the season, while their team batting average comes in at .230. St. Louis is slugging .384 and have struck out 578 times, while being walked on 203 occasions.

The Cardinals have compiled a team ERA of 4.17 this season (17th in baseball), and their staff has rung up 547 batters. They have walked 292 opposing batters and their FIP is 4.25 as a squad for the year. Their K/BB ratio is 1.87 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.34. Cardinals pitchers have given up 55 home runs and 304 runs (17th in baseball).

The Cardinals have dispatched 227 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season. The relief pitchers have inherited 126 runners over the course of the season with 45.2% of those runners crossed the plate. They have recorded 21 saves over the course of the season and have not converted 6 of their 27 save chances. The Cardinals bullpen have earned a save percentage of 77.8% and has entered the game in 60 save situations. The relief pitchers have notched 31 holds so far this year (18th in baseball). Cardinals relief pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 70 times in addition to having 64 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Cardinals have turned 70.9% of balls hit into play into outs out of 5,355 innings on the field, which has them sitting 8th in professional baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals have amassed 1,785 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 603 assists and 46 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .981 which is 26th in MLB, and they have twisted 471 double plays.

Martinez (61-50 record in his career) has earned a FIP of 3.59 while going up against 4,038 batters during his time in the majors. He has conceded 866 hits (8.2 hits per nine innings) and has 359 walks. His earned run average is 3.65 (385 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.290. Martinez has taken the mound for 949 innings and has tallied 914 punch outs during his career.

The Braves hold a slugging % of .429 and they average 4.88 runs per game (8th in baseball). They have recorded 109 doubles, while taking a walk 232 times as well as putting up 317 runs. Atlanta has 95 home runs over the course of the season as well as 303 RBIs. They have struck out on 617 occasions (11th in MLB) and have notched a total of 509 base knocks. The Atlanta Braves hold an OBP of .318 and a team batting average of .237 so far this season.

The Braves have a team WHIP of 1.343 and have a FIP of 4.33 as a unit so far this season. They are sitting at 19th in baseball as a staff in total hits relinquished with 544. The Atlanta pitching staff have conceded 323 runs on the season while having an ERA of 4.52 (287 earned runs conceded). Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 2.62 (586 strikeouts vs 224 walks). They have surrendered 83 long balls and they surrender 5.08 runs per 9 innings (23rd in the league).

Atlanta has had bullpen pitchers step onto the mound in 25 save opportunities and they have tallied 13 saves. They are ranked 26th in the league with a save percentage of 52.0%, and they have dispatched 245 relievers to the hill over the course of the season. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 107 times in high leverage situations and on 63 occasions with runners on base. Atlanta relievers hold an inherited score rate of 39.4% out of their 99 inherited base runners. With 69 save situations, the Braves have 43 holds and also 12 blown saves.

Out of their 5,148 innings on the field, the Braves hold a efficiency on defense of 68.8% (22nd in pro baseball). The Atlanta Braves have twisted 42 double plays and have accounted for a fielding rate of .984 (12th in professional baseball). The Braves have recorded 598 assists, 38 errors and have a total of 1,716 putouts on the campaign.

During his career, Fried has surrendered 327 base hits while he has accumulated 338 K's in 332 frames. He has surrendered 136 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.334 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.8. His K/BB ratio is 2.91 and he has faced 1,414 opposing hitters so far in his pro baseball career. Fried (29-15 record in his career) holds a 3.69 ERA while giving up 8.9 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game ATS?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. Louis (+110)

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