R.A. Dickey (0-1, 2.19 ERA) and Alex Wood (1-0, 3.86 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (5-6) and the Atlanta Braves (7-3) at the Rogers Centre. The Braves won the last game 8-7 and Atlanta leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 1:07 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 18 and can be seen on FSN-S and RSN.
Dickey is 2-6 with a 5.48 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts against the Braves. Devon Travis (.375, 9 Rs, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs) had a good game yesterday, going 2 for 5 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Against the Blue Jays, Wood is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and zero strikeouts. Nick Markakis (.353, 6 Rs, 5 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate to the start the season for the Braves, going 4 for 4 yesterday with three runs.
Toronto is a -136 favorite against Atlanta and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Blue Jays have recorded an overall money line of -54 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 2-3. In interleague play, they have a 2-3 record when they were the favorite and 5-5 SU.
In games where it is the underdog, Atlanta has a 4-2 record and an overall money line of +364. Atlanta has put in a great performance against interleague opponents, coming in with a nice record SU ({betdsi.at.al.su_record}) and as the underdog (4-2). Offensively, they average five runs per game on the road, which is the best in the NL. Atlanta is excellent at drawing walks with 3.7 per road game, ranking third in the NL. Atlanta’s pitching staff has set the standard for its league, with an NL-low 1.00 ERA on the road. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Braves are second in the NL on the road with an average of 6.3 hits allowed per away game.
The Braves have the edge in the season series, 1-0. Dickey (RHP) will be on the hill against the Braves, who have a 5-3 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
Atlanta has won 60% (3-2) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Toronto has won all of its games (2-0) when taking a late lead.
The Atlanta batters brought in a solid 12 hits last game. Toronto has a record of 1-1 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Blue Jays are 5-1. The Braves have a 5-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Toronto ranks at the top of the league when it comes to runs with 62 this season. Atlanta ranks in the top half at 14th with 44.
Ranking 13th, Atlanta is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 30 this season. Toronto ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 35.
When the Blue Jays hit at least one home run, they are 4-1. When the Braves hit at least one homer, they have a 4-3 record.
