Tigers vs. Astros Pick
Will the Detroit Tigers salvage a series split with the Houston Astros when the two close out their four-game series tonight at 8:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Astros are the favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -120 to win. The Tigers are getting a money line of +100 to prevail, while the over/under total is listed at 9 runs.
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The pitching matchup for today’s game has Justin Verlander (4-3, 4.39 ERA) on the mound for the Tigers to face Mike Fiers (1-2, 5.14) of the Astros. Fiers has allowed 24 earned runs over 42 innings of work. He has 36 strikeouts with 16 walks and a 1.43 WHIP. Verlander hasn’t been able to quite match what he did last year. He has 54 strikeouts with 26 walks over 55.1 innings of work this year. His WHIP is 1.34.
Detroit won 6-3 on Wednesday to avoid losing three straight to the Astros. Houston picked up wins on Monday and Tuesday at home. The Astros are 31-16 overall this season and 16-10 at home while the Tigers are 22-23 overall and 10-13 on the road.
The Tigers finally got some hitting on Wednesday, racking up eight hits for its six runs. Jose Iglesias had a home run and also scored three runs in Wednesday’s win. Ian Kinsler also added a pair of hits and scored twice. Charlie Morton had a nice outing for Houston, lasting seven innings and allowing just two earned runs. However, the Houston bullpen allowed four runs over two innings of work.
Verlander hasn’t been the ace Detroit has wanted, but the team still gets a boost when he takes the mound. Verlander should give the Tigers 6-7 innings and keep them in the game. After finding some hitting on Wednesday, Detroit can build on that against Fiers, who isn’t having a good year himself. I trust Verlander more than I do Fiers, so I expect the Tigers to come away with the win.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: DETROIT TIGERS -120