Thursday features a battle of struggling American League teams as the Detroit Tigers (71-81) go head-to-head with the Oakland Athletics (46-106).
The Tigers come into this one having gone 6-4 in their last 10 MLB games. On the road this season, they are just above .500 at 39-38.
Looking at the MLB standings of Detroit, they rank third in the AL Central, 9.5 games behind the Twins. The most recent Detroit Tigers score saw them beat the Dodgers 4-2 in Wednesday’s series finale.
As for the MLB schedule of the Oakland Athletics, they have gone just 2-8 in their last 10 games. At 24-53, they will hope to improve on the league’s worst home record.
In their last series, they were swept by the Seattle Mariners, getting outscored 18 to 5 in the three MLB games.
The Oakland Athletics roster is dead last in the AL West, 38.5 games behind the Houston Astros. They currently have the worst record in all of baseball.
Heading into this matchup, let’s take a look at our Tigers vs Athletics picks & parlays.
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Odds
Before determining our Tigers vs Athletics picks & parlays, it is important to analyze the MLB odds.
As of Thursday morning, the odds for this contest have the Tigers favored at -180 and the Athletics underdogs at +150.
The total is listed at 7.5 runs for this MLB game.
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Picks & Parlays
With two below .500 teams squaring off, it can be difficult to make your MLB picks. Still, there is value in Thursday’s contest.
Tigers vs. Athletics Pick:
- Detroit Tigers -180
Tigers vs. Athletics Parlay:
- Detroit Tigers -180
- Under 7.5
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Information
Detroit Tigers vs Oakland Athletics
Location of the game: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA.
Date & Time: Thursday, September 21. 9:40 pm ET.
How to watch: MLB.tv
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Betting Analysis
Trying to take the first game of the series, Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch will turn to 26-year-old lefty Tarik Skubal on Thursday. In 13 games, his MLB player stats show that he is 6-3 with a 3.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and he has 84 strikeouts in 69.1 innings.
Skubal has pitched well as of late. In his last three MLB games, he is 3-0 and has allowed just three earned runs over a combined 19 innings of work. He also has struck out 25 in that span.
The Tigers have struggled on the offensive side. They rank 29th out of all MLB teams in scoring, averaging just 4.01 runs per game (4.13 on the road).
Spencer Torkelson currently leads the offense with 29 home runs, 84 runs batted in, and 83 runs scored.
Oakland’s Pitching Hope
When analyzing the Oakland Athletics odds, it is important to look at the starting pitcher. Oakland will send 24-year-old righty Luis Medina to the mound in this one. In 21 games, he is 3-9 with a 5.56 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and he has 97 strikeouts in 98.2 innings.
Medina took a no-decision in his last outing after allowing one earned run over 3.2 innings against the San Diego Padres.
The only team worse than the Tigers in scoring this season is the Athletics. They currently rank dead last in the majors, averaging just 3.62 runs per game (3.32 at home).
Brent Rooker continues to be the one bright spot in the Oakland lineup. In 428 at bats, he is hitting .241/.324/.477 with a team-leading 27 home runs and 62 runs batted in.
Key Injuries
Looking at the MLB injury report, the Tigers will be without outfielders Austin Meadows (medical) and Riley Greene (elbow). Shortstop Javier Baez has also been dealing with a back issue.
For the Athletics, they are currently without Sean Newcomb (knee) and JJ Bleday (knee).
Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Betting Picks
While neither of these teams have had a successful year, the Tigers are still much better than Oakland on paper. Throw in the fact that Tarik Skubal has been dominant as of late, and there is a lot of value in taking Detroit to win and win big Thursday. Take Detroit to win this contest.
In terms of the total, take the under in this one. With the two worst offenses in baseball squaring off, runs could come at a premium.
- As far as our Tigers vs Athletics picks & parlays, take the Tigers to win and for the under to hit on the total runs.
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