Detroit Tigers (0-1) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (1-0)
April 1, 2023 4:10 pm EDT
The Line: Tampa Bay Rays -182 / Detroit Tigers +140; Over/Under: 6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Rays meet Saturday in MLB action from Tropicana Field. This will be the second installment in a three-game weekend series. The Rays took a shutout victory in the opener matchup on Thursday. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
Detroit Tigers
Detroit had a forgettable season in 2022, going 66-96 overall for a fourth-place finish in the American League Central. In Thursday’s Opening Day matchup against Tampa Bay, the Tigers took a 4-0 shutout loss. Starter Eduardo Rodriguez lasted 5.1 innings with three earned on three hits and two walks.
For the starter gig in the Saturday matchup, the Tigers will go with Spencer Turnbull. In 2021, Turnbull went 4-2 overall with a 2.88 ERA in nine starts. Over 50.0 innings he head 44 strikeouts. Turnbull has an 11-25 career record with a 4.25 ERA over 54 games (53 starts).
Tampa Bay Rays
Over on the Rays’ side, they went 86-76 overall last year and eventually lost to Cleveland in the Wild Card Series. On Thursday, Tampa scored in three different innings during the victory. Shane McClanahan logged 6.0 clean frames with four hits and one walk.
Starter for Saturday’s matchup will be Tampa’s Zach Eflin. Over his 20 games (13 starts) last year, Eflin went 3-5 with a 4.04 ERA. He had 65 Ks in 75.2 innings total. Eflin is a career 36-45 pitcher with a 4.49 ERA and 552 strikeouts in 659.1 innings of work.
The Tigers are 4-1 in their last five in game two of a series and 8-2 in their last 10 versus a right-handed starter. Detroit is 26-55 in the last 81 versus a team with a winning record.
Meanwhile, the Rays are 5-1 in their last six after an off day and 98-48 in their last 146 at home. Tampa is 2-5 in their last seven on turf.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stay with Tampa Bay. The Rays were pretty steady in their Thursday win, despite notching a tepid six team hits. Pitching-wise there wasn’t much to complain about; the bullpen came in with three clean innings and two hits after McClanahan exited. As for Detroit, three of their six team hits came from Austin Meadows on Thursday, so they’ll need a better all-around effort from the bats here. Eflin probably won’t be out there for too long on Saturday, but I think the pen will carry the team to another win regardless.
