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The Oakland Athletics are going for the sweep on the road as they visit the Detroit Tigers. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out an Athletics-Tigers prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The A's won game one in extra innings, but handled the Tigers in game two. In the series, the Athletics are batting just .225 as a team, but 14 of their 16 hits came in their 12-3 blowout win. Shea Langeliers, Ryan Noda and Jordan Diaz all homered in the second game of the series. On the mound, the Athletics have given up just three runs in two games. They have allowed just 10 hits in 19 innings pitchd and struck out 18. They will need to keep it up on the mound if they want to sweep the Tigers.
Detroit has just 10 hits this series, giving them a batting average of .156. Miguel Cabrera has three hits to lead the team and Matt Vierling has two. Everybody else with a hit has just one. Only three of their 10 hits have gone for extra bases this series. In 19 innings pitched, the Tigers have struck out 22 batters and walked only two. Detroit has given up 12 earned runs, though. However, all those runs came in game two.
Hogan Harris will start for the Athletics while Michael Lorenzen will get the ball for Detroit after being named an All-Star earlier this week.
Here are the Athletics-Tigers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Tigers Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-140)
Detroit Tigers: -1.5 (+116)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How To Watch Athletics vs. Tigers
TV: NBC Sports California, Bally Sports Detroit
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 1:10 PM ET/10:10 AM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Tigers are one of the worst offensive teams in the MLB. They have just 10 hits in 19 innings of at-bats this series and can not seem to get anything going. The gameplan on the mound is clearly working for the A's, so that should not change. Harris is making his fourth start of the season, but has gone five innings or more in six of his eight appearances. He should be able to go deep into this game while holding the Tigers to just one or two runs. If he can do that, the Athletics will keep this game close enough to cover the spread.
Lorenzen was named an all-star, but his numbers are unimpressive. On top of that, the Tigers lost every single one of his starts in June and nine of his 14 starts on the season. Lorenzen struggled in June, and that could carry over into July. If the Athletics can jump on him early and hit like they did in game two, this game will be a cake walk for them.
Why The Tigers Could Cover The Spread
Lorenzen is not having an awful season. In 82 innings pitched, hitters have just 76 hits off him. As a whole, opponents are batting under .250 against Lorenzen. The Athletics are the worst team in the MLB in batting average, and they are bottom-5 in plenty of other categories. Oakland was able to squeak by in game one with just two hits on the entire day. Lorenzen should be able to shut down the Athletics offense in this game and lead the Tigers to a win.
As mentioned, the Tigers are struggling to hit this series, but they are facing a left-handed pitcher. Against lefties this season, the Tigers are batting slightly better. Miguel Cabrera, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene are all hitting over .290 against left-handed pitching this season. If the Tigers can find a way to push across a few runs in this game, they should come out victorious.
Final Athletics-Tigers Prediction & Pick
This is a battle of two below average teams, but sometimes that makes for good baseball. The Tigers have their all-star on the mound, and despite what you think, his all-star status will not change. I expect the Tigers to cover the spread as they avoid being swept at home.
Final Athletics-Tigers Prediction & Pick: Tigers -1.5 (+116), Over 8.5 (-115)
