Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers Betting Preview/Prop Picks
04 August 2022
Ranking third in the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays head to Detroit to face the Tigers. A 55-49 record has them following only a few games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, second in the division.
If they can land a few victories over the Tigers, they could close the gap and take that spot. However, the Detroit Tigers won't go down so easily, especially at home.
On the surface, the Tigers' record of 42-64 might not look like much. Still, they have a few notable wins under their belt in recent weeks. Not long ago, they took down the Minnesota Twins, who lead the AL Central.
Prior to that, they were able to beat the Toronto Blue Jays, so they're a capable team. The question is, can they pull off another upset tonight?
Tampa Bay Rays: The pitching advantage goes to Tampa Bay
One of the first things you have to do when betting is look at who's on the mound. Getting the start for the Rays tonight is Jeffrey Springs, who has a 3-3 record this season.
Although his record sits comfortably at .500, it's his ERA we're impressed with. With an ERA of 2.70, Springs should be able to handle anything that the Tigers batters throw at him.
Speaking of batters, the Rays have a solid group of hitters too. This season, the Tampa Bay Rays have a team batting average of .238, ranking 21st overall.
They have an on-base percentage of .306, ranking 22nd, and have scored 424 runs. If they can get a fast start against the Tigers today, they should be able to win this one. However, you can't underestimate Detroit.
Detroit Tigers: Detroit comes into this one as heavy underdogs
Coming in at +151 tonight, the Tigers are massive underdogs heading into this game. The good news is that the Tigers have done well with their backs against the wall.
They came in as underdogs in a recent game against the Twins as well. In that game, Detroit scored three runs in the seventh inning to give themselves a lead. From there, they held on and won 5-3.
They'll have to put a similar formula into place against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are going to try and get a quick start; this is something the Tigers can't allow.
Tasked with stopping the batters of the Rays is Drew Hutchison. Hutchinson has a record of 1-4 this season with a 4.53 ERA. Now that we've looked at each team let's make our pick for tonight's game.
Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers Betting Pick
It may seem that the Tampa Bay Rays are the easy pick here but think about their previous games. They recently lost a series to the Cleveland Guardians and lost 2-1 in a series against the Kansas City Royals.
The Rays have had trouble winning on the road as well, going 22-28 this season. Although it'll be a close game, we like the Tigers to pull this one off.
The good news is that the Tigers come into this game with great odds. At +151, your wager could earn you a lot of winnings if the Tigers come out on top.
Along with taking the Tigers, we're going to take the over in this game as well. The total has gone over in six of Detroit's last seven games at home.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Detroit Tigers +151, OVER
Prop Picks
Detroit (+105) OVER 3.5 Runs
Tampa Bay is allowing 3.91 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 7 in the league. That average increases to 4.21 runs per 9 innings on the road. Scores have gone OVER in five of Tampa Bay’s last seven games following a win.
With Dunkel predicting a Detroit home victory by the score of 5-4, take the Tigers (+105) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the Rays.
Javier Baez (+105) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Baez has scored 38 runs in 91 games played, which ranks No. 1 on the Tigers. The Detroit shortstop scored 16 runs in 101 at-bats in July, the most in any month this season.
With Dunkel predicting the final score going OVER the Vegas total, take Baez (+105) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored versus the Rays.
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