American League crews are slated to run into one another Monday evening when the Detroit Tigers pay a visit to Tropicana Field and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Trying to keep up with New York in the AL East, the host Rays look to build upon a stretch in which they’ve won three of four. Tampa Bay has a 21-14 record and trails only the Yankees in their grouping.
Meanwhile, after sweeping Baltimore in three contests, Detroit is riding its longest win streak of the campaign. Still, the Tigers are 12-23.
They’ve had a pair of six-game skids already this year. The Tigers sit at the bottom of the AL Central.
For all of its struggles, Detroit has had solid pitching. With a 3.42 team ERA, the Tigers rank seventh in the MLB. Their offense, however, hasn’t particularly carried its water.
First baseman Miguel Cabrera paces the group, which has a collective .225 batting average. Cabrera has a team-high .297 average at the dish and has the most home runs, hits, and RBIs.
Behind him, no regular has better than a .267 average.
Tigers at Rays Odds
MLB odds have the Rays as the favorites in this one, which is to be expected with how ineffective the Tigers’ bats can be at times. Tampa Bay is -1.5 on the run line at +112, while Detroit is -1134 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Rays are -205 and Detroit +172 underdogs. The total has been set at 7.5 runs, with the over being -115 and the under -105 at the time of this writing.
Although it’s in a better spot than its opponents, Tampa Bay hasn’t done much better at the plate than the Tigers. The Rays won’t really wow you with their power, ranking in the middle of the league in homers. They have a .234 team average but have found a way to get the job done.
Shortstop Wander Franco fronts the pack with a .285 average himself, while first baseman Yandy Diaz has a .395 on-base percentage. Right fielder Manuel Margot has a team-high 21 RBIs.
Let’s take a look at the MLB picks today for this clash.
Matchup Information
Tigers at Rays Betting Preview
The host group will have 12-year veteran right-hander Corey Kluber toe the rubber. He’ll hope to cast his most recent start out of his mind. Against the Los Angeles Angels last Tuesday, he only lasted three innings on the hill, giving up 11 knocks and eight earned runs.
That didn’t do any favors for his ERA, which now sits at 4.55. A three-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young winner, it’s likely that he uses the shortcoming against L.A. as fuel this time around.
The Tigers trot out rookie Alex Faedo, who’s made two appearances this season and is hoping to latch on. He’s gone five frames in each of them, allowing no more than two runs. Against Oakland in his last outing, he sat down seven on strikes.
Faedo, a native of the Tampa area, has a 3.60 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He’s looking for his first major league decision in a stadium he grew familiar with as a fan.
Tigers at Rays Betting Predictions
The matching of a paltry Detroit offense and a determined Kluber might be the story of this one. The Tigers haven’t made too big of a dent in the scoreboard as of late, plating three runs or less in nine of their last dozen contests. It’ll take more than that to pull out a win against a good Tampa Bay group.
Add in the fact that a weathered hurler is going up against a relative newcomer, and it doesn’t help the visitors’ chances with these MLB betting trends.
At home against a team that figures to be more in the running for a high draft choice than a playoff berth, the Rays have the upper hand. Take Tampa Bay to win, along with the over.
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