Angels vs Tigers Series Preview: Detroit Favored in Opener

The Angels vs Tigers series preview highlights two MLB teams in dire need of a series win. The Angels are 4.0 games out in the wild card race. The Tigers are 6.5 games out of the lead in the AL Central Major League Baseball standings. Both teams need to go on a bit of a run to increase their postseason chances.

Detroit will send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound in Tuesday’s opener, where he’ll face Griffin Canning of the Angeles. The Tigers are -120 and the total is 8.5 (EV/-120). Detroit is +160 on the run line.

Los Angeles is 51-49 on the season and have struggled on the road a bit, going 22-26. The Angels are No. 11 in team batting with a .255 average. But Los Angeles is No. 3 in home runs and as a result is No. 6 in runs scored. Offense hasn’t been the problem for the Angels. What is the problem is pitching and defense. The Angels are No. 21 in team ERA and have allowed 42 unearned runs this season.

The Tigers are 46-54 and 22-27 at home. Detroit’s offense leaves a bit to be desired. The Tigers are No. 27 in team batting average and No. 28 in runs scored. Detroit is No. 18 in team ERA, so the Tigers are a little worse than average. The Tigers have done a decent job of not allowing walks. The pitching staff has allowed 284 bases on balls this season. Only three teams have allowed fewer.

Tuesday’s Game

Canning is 6-4 on the season with a 4.52 ERA. The Angels are 9-6 when he starts on the season and 4-4 when he starts on the road. Rodriguez is 6-5 with a 2.69 ERA on the year. Detroit has gone 7-7 with Rodriguez on the mound. In seven of his 14 starts, the Tigers have scored two or fewer runs. So the run support isn’t there.

The Angels are just 10-18 against left-handed pitchers this season. But Los Angeles is scoring 4.54 runs per game against left-handed starters. A lot of their record has to do with some poor pitching efforts. Rodriguez has pitched well this season and will take a good look at the under 8.5 in this one.

Wednesday’s Game

The Angels vs Tigers series preview has Patrick Sandoval getting the start for Los Angeles. The Tigers will counter with Michael Lorenzen. Sandoval is 5-7 with a 4.16 ERA for the Angeles. The Angels are just 6-11 when Sandoval starts, although he hasn’t pitched that poorly.

Lorenzen is 5-6 with a 3.49 ERA for the Tigers. Detroit has posted an 8-9 record with Lorenzen on the hill and a 5-4 mark at home. The Tigers are 9-15 against left-handed starters, but do score a little more against LHP than they do against right-handers. The Tigers are 3-8 at home against southpaws and have been blanked three times. This one also deserves a look at the under.

Thursday’s Game

The Angels vs Tigers series preview notes this is just one of four games being played on Thursday’s MLB schedule. Chase Silseth will get the start for the Angels and Matt Manning will take the mound for Detroit. Silseth has appeared in 10 games and started two. The Angels are 1-1 in the two games he’s started. Those were against the Orioles and Yankees, so he might find Detroit’s bats a bit more to his liking.

Manning missed time for the Tigers but has pitched well. The Tigers are 4-3 when he starts, but have gotten some horrible relief appearances in games Manning started. He only pitched two innings in his last start after going five or six in most of his other outings. A rain delay was the reason for the short outing. The relief pitchers allowed 14 runs in seven innings.

The Tigers are likely to be a small favorite here and Manning is pitching well. There’s no reason to change anything in this one, so the under gets the call in all three games.
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