The Houston Astros will begin a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers on Friday at Comerica Park. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make an Astros-Tigers prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.

The Astros are struggling. Somehow, they entered the Thursday game against the New York Yankees with a 12-24 record and sat last in the American League West. The Astros are looking to finally pick things up before it's too late.

The Tigers are 19-18 and hanging around in the American League Central. Unfortunately, they lost two of three to the Cleveland Guardians. Detroit went 1-5 over its past six games. Now, it hopes to find some good home cooking.

The Astros and Tigers split the season series last season. Ultimately, the first game of this series will be a great showdown with a great pitcher's duel on tap, with two pitchers with nearly identical stats.

Framber Valdez starts for the Astros. He is 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA. Recently, he went 5 1/3 innings while allowing five earned runs on nine hits in a loss to the Seattle Mariners. But Valdez has done well against the Tigers, going 1-2 with a 2.48 ERA over seven career showdowns with them.

Casey Mize starts for the Tigers. He is 1-1 with a 3.98 ERA this season. Ultimately, he went 5 1/3 innings while allowing five earned runs on nine hits in a loss to the Yankees.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Astros-Tigers Odds

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+126)

Moneyline: -126

Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (-152)

Moneyline: +108

Over: 8 (-115)

Under: 8 (-105)

How to Watch Astros vs. Tigers

Time: 6:40 PM ET/3:40 PM PT

TV: Bally Sports Detroit

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Astros are struggling this season. Yet, you cannot blame the offense. The Astros are sixth in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage, and seventh in home runs and slugging percentage. Likewise, they are 16th in runs. Their players are getting the job done on offense.

Heading into Thursday's action, Jose Altuve was hitting .331 with seven home runs, 13 RBIs, and 25 runs. Significantly. he is 1 for 5 with one walk in his career against Mize. Kyle Tucker is batting .276 with 10 home runs, 25 RBIs, and 25 runs. Overall, he is 2 for 4 with a double and one walk against Mize.

Yordan Alvarez is clipping .239 with seven home runs, 18 RBIs, and 19 runs. Yet, he has struggled against Mize in his career, going 0 for 5 with two strikeouts and one walk. Alex Bregman is not having a good season, hitting .189 with just one home run, 11 RBIs, and six runs. Unfortunately, he is 0 for 2 with one walk against Mize.

But the pitching staff has been awful this season. They are only 28th in team ERA and 29th in walks plus hits per innings pitched. Even worse, they are 24th in bullpen ERA.

The Astros will cover the spread if they can find a way to get some hits off Mize early. Then, they need Valdez to pitch well, going at least six innings while allowing three or fewer runs.

Why The Tigers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Tigers have struggled to hit the baseball this season. So far, they are only 23rd in batting average. The Tigers are also 24th in on-base percentage. Likewise, they are 22nd in runs and home runs. The Tigers are also only 23rd in slugging percentage. Therefore, someone in this lineup must step up, especially when facing a good pitcher.

Riley Greene is batting .254 with nine home runs, 17 RBIs, and 28 runs. Also, he is 3 for 8 against Valdez in his career, with three strikeouts and two walks. Kerry Carpenter is hitting .269 with three home runs, 15 RBIs, and 10 runs. Significantly, it will be his first time facing Valdez. Spencer Torkelson is hitting just .221 with 12 RBIs and 14 runs. However, he has not hit a home run yet. Torkelson is 3 for 12 with an RBI against Valdez in his career.

But the Tigers have thrived this season because of a top-notch pitching staff. Ultimately, their pitching staff ranks sixth in team ERA. The Tigers are also third in walks per hits per innings pitched. Even better, this bullpen is fourth in team ERA.

The Tigers will cover the spread if they can find ways to hit the baseball off Valdez. Then, Mize needs to find ways to avoid making mistakes against the tough Astros hitters.

Final Astros-Tigers Prediction & Pick

It's offense versus pitching in this one, in two different ways. Substantially, this may be one of the more interesting series we have seen since the season began. Mize and Valdez are both elite pitchers looking to bounce back from bad outings. Thus, it serves as a recipe for success for both. Expect a quality start from both starters, with the hitters struggling to do much. The under covers the spread here, with runs being tough to come by.

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Final Astros-Tigers Prediction & Pick: Under 8 (-105)