Tigers vs. Athletics Pick
Will the Oakland Athletics be able to hold off the Detroit Tigers when the two open a weekend series tonight at 10:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, this game is considered even, as both the Athletics and the Tigers are getting odds of -110 to win. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 7.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup for tonight has Michael Fulmer (2-1, 3.19 ERA) on the mound for the Tigers to face Andrew Triggs (4-1, 1.84) of the Athletics. Fulmer has been pretty steady coming off his Rookie of the Year honor in 2016. He has went at least six innings in all five starts, allowing no more than three runs. He has 26 strikeouts with nine walks in 31 innings of work and his WHIP is just 1.00. Triggs has had four of his five outings go without allowing an earned run, but he also had one outing where he face up six earned runs to the Mariners. He has 22 strikeouts with six walks this season and his WHIP is 0.92.
The Tigers had a three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday in a 3-2 loss to the Indians. Detroit is now 14-13 on the season and 5-6 on the road. The Tigers are putting up 4.89 runs per game, but allowing 5.15. Alex Avila has been leading the team with a .391 average, four home runs and 12 RBI. Justin Upton has five home runs with 15 RBI this season, but the team could be without Ian Kinsler tonight. He is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.
Oakland snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday night with an 8-5 win at Minnesota. The Athletics are just 2-8 in their last 10 games and they come into tonight 12-16 overall and 7-6 at home. Oakland is averaging 3.71 runs per game while allowing 4.93. Yonder Alonso is leading the team with a .295 average, six home runs and 17 RBI. Khris Davis has 10 home runs this season and is among the league-leaders in the long ball. He also has 18 RBI.
Both teams come in with unreliable bullpens, so it will be important for the starters to get some distance tonight. I think Fulmer is more trustworthy there. While he hasn’t gotten terribly deep into games, he is still good for about six strong innings. He also has the better lineup behind him. Oakland has struggled to produce runs consistently and Triggs could see another shaky performance against some powerful hitters.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: DETROIT TIGERS -110