In this article we will formulate a Detroit Tigers vs Tampa Bay Rays prediction for this MLB game on Tuesday, September 24th at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game one in the series.
Detroit Tigers Betting Preview
The Detroit Tigers are 82-74 this year and they have won six of their last seven games. Detroit is coming off of a series win against Baltimore, where they won two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Tigers swept the Royals, won two out of three against the Orioles, and won two out of three against the Rockies. Detroit is 11-3 in their last 14 games and they are tied for second in the AL Central.
The Detroit pitching staff has a 3.64 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and a .235 opponent batting average. The Tigers’ offense has scored 660 runs with a .234 batting average and a .299 on-base percentage. Riley Greene is batting .262 with 24 home runs and 72 RBI’s for the Tigers this season.
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview
The Tampa Bay Rays are 78-78 this season and they have won four games in a row. Tampa Bay is coming off of a series sweep against Toronto, where they won all three games and only allowed five runs in the series. Prior to that series, the Rays won two out of three against the Red Sox, split four games with the Guardians, and lost all three against the Phillies. Tampa Bay is 7-3 in their last 10 games and they are fourth in the AL East.
The Tampa Bay pitching staff has a 3.79 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a .236 opponent batting average. The Rays’ offense has scored 589 runs with a .231 batting average and a .304 on-base percentage. Yandy Diaz is batting .284 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI’s for the Rays this season.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Detroit is Tarik Skubal, who is 17-4 with a 2.48 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP over 185.0 innings pitched this year. Skubal has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four straight starts. The projected starting pitcher for Tampa Bay is Ryan Pepiot, who is 8-6 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over 121.0 innings pitched this season. Pepiot has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts.
Why the Tigers will beat the Rays
- The home team has won seven of the Rays’ last eight games.
- The Rays have lost each of their last six Tuesday games at Comerica Park.
- The Tigers have covered the run line in eight of their last nine games as favorites following a road win.
- The Rays have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven road games following a home win.
- The Tigers have led after 5 innings in each of their last five games as home favorites.
Total Runs Facts
- Ten of the Rays’ last 11 games have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Seven of the Tigers’ last eight games as favorites against American League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rays’ last nine games.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Tigers’ last three night games.
Detroit Tigers Player Prop Facts
- Spencer Torkelson has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last three appearances with the Tigers as home favorites.
- Colt Keith has recorded at least one hit in each of his last nine appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Colt Keith has recorded at least one total base in each of his last nine appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Colt Keith has recorded at least one Single in each of his last nine appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Riley Greene has hit a home run in two of the Tigers’ last three games as favorites.
- Spencer Torkelson has scored a run in each of his last five appearances after not playing the previous day.
Tampa Bay Rays Player Prop Facts
- Yandy Diaz has recorded at least one total base in each of his last 10 appearances with the Rays as underdogs.
- Brandon Lowe has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last three appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Yandy Diaz has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 10 appearances with the Rays as underdogs.
- Yandy Diaz has recorded at least one Single in each of his last seven appearances against opponents that held a winning record.
- Brandon Lowe has hit a home run in each of his last two appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Brandon Lowe has scored at least one run in each of his last four appearances after not playing the previous day.
Detroit Tigers vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
Detroit comes into this series as one of the hottest teams in the MLB and they are currently holding the third wild card spot in the AL. The Tigers are 39-36 at home this year, while the Rays are 36-39 on the road. Tampa Bay has also played well recently, but they are the second-lowest-scoring team in the MLB. This should be a fantastic pitching matchup, but I can’t go against the red-hot Tigers with Skubal on the mound. Take Detroit -1.5 here.