The Detroit Tigers are on a winning streak of their own, albeit not quite as decorative as the Houston Astros. With three straight wins, one against the Los Angeles Angels and two against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tigers are making a name for themselves in the AL Central. They still have a long way to go before being considered as a contender, though, but a win over an opponent like the Astros will do well to bolster their reputation.
The Houston Astros come in as heavy favorites, of course, to be expected, but can the Tigers be the Astros kryptonite? Houston has done some traveling, leaving from Baltimore and heading to Detroit, so maybe the Tigers can catch them off guard? Let’s look at what both teams bring to Thursday before making our pick.
The Astros, the league’s best batting team, look to run up the score against the Tigers
It’s hard to argue with the results the Astros have had this year, even with the cloud hanging over them regarding their World Series win. This season, they rank as number one in four major batting categories (runs, team batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage). At this point, the only question opposing teams need to be answered isn’t if the Astros will beat them; it’s how badly the Astros will beat them.
Over the past few weeks, the only teams that have been able to beat the Astros are teams with killer batting lineups themselves or incredible pitching. Unfortunately, the Detroit Tigers have neither, setting them up for failure against MLB’s number one lineup.
Detroit, with SP Jose Urena on the mound, is at a disadvantage before the game even begins
SP Jose Urena has an ERA of 5.79, which has likely already put a smile on the Astros batter’s faces. He’s also 2-7 in nine starts if you needed any more reason to be concerned about the Tigers here. The Tigers are under .500 when playing at home and have an 0-6 record when playing the Red Sox at home.
That doesn’t mean the Tigers don’t have a chance to win this one, though. If they’re able to shock the Astros early, putting runs on the board quickly and finding a way to stall the Red Sox’s batters, the Tigers could be in good shape. The only question is, can they do all three of those?
Who to bet on Thursday night? Houston Astros -210
I love an underdog story, but the odds are stacked too heavily against the Detroit Tigers here. The Astros have a better pitching unit, much better batters, and are familiar with the Tigers already. Look for the road team to come in and win the first game of the series, bringing the Astros winning streak to eleven games, Houston Astros -210.
Astros 9 – Tigers 3