Game: Texas Rangers @ Detroit Tigers
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Odds: Rangers -145, Tigers +125
Total: 9
The Detroit Tigers are just bad. If not for Kansas City, the Tigers might be the worst team in baseball. Yesterday, Detroit lost to the White Sox 13-0. It was the Tigers’ fourth straight loss. In that streak, Detroit has been shut out twice. Now, they turn around and face one of the best pitchers in baseball in Martin Perez.
Perez was the MLB leader in ERA for most of the season until he had his worst start of the season against the White Sox last week. Perez gave up six earned runs in five innings against the White Sox. Somehow, the Rangers managed to win the game. Winning is something Texas has done with Perez on the mound. The Rangers have won seven of his last eight starts and eight of his 12 for the season.
Perez is in the AL Cy Young mix after an incredible run from April until early June. Across nine starts, Perez pitched at least six innings in each game and allowed a total of six runs. In four of the nine starts, he held the opponent scoreless.
Tonight, the Rangers ace faces a Tigers lineup that doesn’t do much of anything well. They don’t hit well. The Tigers’ batting average of .219 ranks 28th in the majors. They don’t produce a lot of baserunners. Detroit’s on-base percentage of .276 ranks 29th. The Tigers are dead last in OPS (.591) and runs per game (2.71). They don’t have much power either ranking 30th in homers per game (0.50) and 30th in isolated power (ISO).
The Tigers will go with rookie pitcher Beau Brieske, who hasn’t been terrible. What he has lacked is simply an offense that can give him some run support. Brieske is just 1-5 for the season with a 4.34 ERA. In his last outing though, Brieske beat Toronto to pick up his first win of the season. He pitched 5.2 innings and held the Blue Jays scoreless. Detroit won 3-1.
Texas lost the last two games of its three-game series with Houston. The Rangers have won three of their last seven games. Texas is 0-5 SU in its last five games against the Tigers and 1-4 SU in its last five games against the Tigers in Detroit.
The Tigers are 1-5 SU in their last six games and have won three of their last ten. At home, Detroit has one win in its last five games, but they have had recent success against the Rangers at home. With their ailing offense, the Tigers trend toward the Under. For the season, Detroit’s O/U record is 21-38-3. At home, that record is 13-20-2.
The Tigers have the third-worst lineup against left-handers like Perez. Tonight’s game is also in the pitcher-friendly Comerica Park, which is one of the worst ballparks for home runs. The Rangers’ 27-28-7 O/U mark puts them in the bottom 10 for Overs. However, seven of the Rangers’ last nine road games have gone Over the total.