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It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Tigers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rays Tigers.
The first thing to note about this game is that it has been moved from a 6:40 p.m. Eastern time start to a 1:10 p.m. start due to concerns about the weather in Detroit on Tuesday. No team wants a doubleheader in the final week of the season and a playoff chase. Major League Baseball doesn't want that, either. Therefore, the game is being moved up five and a half hours to beat the rain and the expected weather forecast. Tampa Bay and Detroit had Monday off, so it shouldn't be too much of a concern, but it is a plot twist, and it does mean this game will be played in daytime conditions instead of night conditions, which could affect the flight of the ball, outfield defense, and other dimensions of this contest. Take note of that before you place a bet.
Now, to the main story: the Detroit Tigers. They were 55-63 through 118 games in the second week of August. They were buried in the standings. No one took them seriously as a playoff threat, because they shouldn't have been. It was not wrong to dismiss them. They were eight games under .500. They traded starter Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers before the trade deadline. It's incredible enough that the Tigers have won 27 of 38 games to move to 82-74 and a tie in the American League wild card race with the Kansas City Royals. It's even more incredible that Detroit is doing this while bullpenning (opening) multiple games per week and using a patchwork pitching staff. The Tigers are getting resourceful pitching and are playing lights-out defense, with just enough timely hitting to get the team a win each day. Detroit's offense has been hard to watch for most of the season, but the Tigers have consistently produced timely hits in this run of 38 games since August 11. With Parker Meadows and other utility players making astonishing defensive plays on a repeated basis, Detroit is managing to get hot and stay hot.
Here's the outlook for Detroit heading into its final six games: If the Tigers can be tied in the wild card standings heading into Friday, they will be in good shape. Why? They host the lowly Chicago White Sox in the final three games. If Detroit can somehow lead by one game heading into Friday, it will be extremely hard for Detroit to miss the playoffs. If, however, Detroit stumbles in this series against the Rays and falls a game behind heading into Friday, it will be in trouble, because it will lose a tiebreaker to both the Royals and the Minnesota Twins. Detroit has to at least be even after Thursday's games to feel good about its odds of making October.
Rays-Tigers Projected Starters
Ryan Pepiot vs. Tarik Skubal
Ryan Pepiot (8-6) has a 3.64 ERA. His ERA has been steady over the past month. It was 3.65 in the final week of August. It is 3.64 now. That's consistency.
Last Start: Wednesday, September 18 versus the Boston Red Sox: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 HR, 0 BB, 12 K
2024 Road Splits: 10 starts, 49 1/3 IP, 44 H, 22 R, 8 HR, 16 BB, 49 K
Tarik Skubal (17-4) has a 2.48 ERA. He will win the American League Cy Young Award for 2024, but if he falters here, he will spend the whole offseason thinking about it. This is a moment an ace dreams of: being able to pitch his team into the playoffs. All eyes are on Skubal in Detroit.
Last Start: Wednesday, September 18 versus the Kansas City Royals: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 7 K
2024 Home Splits: 15 starts, 97 IP, 61 H, 25 R, 7 HR, 22 BB, 110 K
Here are the Rays-Tigers MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Tigers Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-152)
Moneyline: +144
Detroit Tigers: -1.5 (+126)
Moneyline: -172
Over: 6.5 (-120)
Under: 6.5 (-102)
How to Watch Rays vs Tigers
Time: 1:10 p.m. ET/10:10 a.m. PT
TV: Bally Sports Sun (Rays) / Bally Sports Detroit (Tigers) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rays' pitching can stand up to Skubal. Detroit does not hit well. The Rays are getting a run and a half. They might lose, but only by one run.
Why The Tigers Will Cover The Spread/Win
Tarik Skubal will put the hammer down, and a red-hot team will stay hot.
Final Rays-Tigers Prediction & Pick
These teams both have quality starters. The under is better than a team bet here.
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Final Rays-Tigers Prediction & Pick: Under 6.5
