The Texas Rangers take on the Detroit Tigers. Check out our MLB odds series for our Rangers Tigers prediction and pick.
Jon Gray gets the ball for the Rangers, while Tarik Skubal goes to the bump for the Tigers.
Jon Gray has a 4.85 ERA. He isn't a bad pitcher, but he is an inconsistent one. In his last four starts, Gray has posted this up-and-down series of pitching lines: five runs in six innings on May 27 against the Athletics; one run allowed in seven innings on June 1 against the Rays; five runs in five innings on June 7 against the Guardians; and one run in six innings on June 12 against the White Sox. You simply don't know what you are going to get when Gray goes to the mound. That's unsettling for Texas, and it's a difficult thing to wrestle with for anyone who is considering making a pick on this game.
Tarik Skubal has a 2.71 ERA. He has been terrific for the Tigers this season. He had two bumpy starts in April, but beginning in May, he roared into gear and found a consistent rhythm. In a sequence of seven starts from May 5 through June 7, he allowed a total of just eight runs. He lowered his ERA from 3.92 to 2.33. He finally had a genuinely rocky performance on June 12 against the Blue Jays, giving up four runs in four innings, but he had been pitching well for over a month. He finally ran into a bad start. For the vast majority of this season, he has been outstanding for Detroit.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rangers-Tigers MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Tigers Odds
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+188)
Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (-230)
Over: 8 (-105)
Under: 8 (-115)
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Why The Rangers Could Cover the Spread
Jon Gray, when locked in, is a good starting pitcher. He simply doesn't display that level of form on a consistent basis. However, Detroit has one of the worst team batting averages in the major leagues. It has one of the worst scoring offenses in baseball. Detroit has scored more than three runs in only one of its last eight games. The Tigers have scored just two runs total in their last three games combined. Detroit's regular everyday players are struggling and show no signs of busting out of a slump. The Tigers have several players with the worst batting averages in baseball based on a minimum number of qualifying at-bats. Spencer Torkelson, Javy Baez, Jonathan Schoop, and Jeimer Candelario are all at or near the bottom of the list of players who have had enough at-bats to be part of that list. The collapse of the Detroit offense has been one of the biggest disappointments of the young season. The Rangers, after coming from behind to beat the Tigers on Thursday, should feel very confident.
Why The Tigers Could Cover the Spread
After his bad start against the Blue Jays on Sunday, Tarik Skubal should get back to his normal high standards and give Detroit a good start. The Rangers are not hitting particularly well. Detroit shut out Texas for 8 2/3 innings on Thursday before giving up a three-run, two-out hit in the top of the ninth, when the Tigers were one out away from winning. Skubal should be able to contain the Texas lineup and set the stage for a Tiger victory on Friday night.
Final Rangers-Tigers Prediction & Pick
The Tigers have lost five in a row. Skubal is coming off a rocky outing. The Rangers are not hitting the ball particularly well. This is a good bounce-back spot for Detroit.
Final Rangers Tigers Prediction & Pick: Tigers +1.5
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