Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics Betting Preview
With the All-Star break behind us, the second half of the MLB season resumes Thursday with an American League showdown between the Detroit Tigers (37-55) and the Oakland A’s (32-61).
These two teams will actually be playing in a doubleheader, with the first game scheduled for 3:38 pm ET and the second scheduled for 7:08 pm ET.
Prior to the break, the Detroit Tigers had lost eight of their last ten games. In their last series, against the Cleveland Guardians, they were swept over three games. A.J. Hinch’s crew will look to get back on track starting Thursday.
The Oakland A’s are also struggling as they have the worst record in the American League. Despite their struggles, they did win two of three on the road against the AL West-leading Houston Astros before the break.
Looking ahead to the evening game, the Oakland A’s are the favorites playing at home. They are -164 to win while Detroit’s moneyline sits at +138. The runline features Detroit +1.5 (-164), and the over/under for total runs sits at seven.
Tigers Try To Avoid Road Struggles
At 37-55, it has been a rough season for the Detroit Tigers. While they have not been exceptionally great at home (23-24), they have really struggled on the road (14-31). They will look to improve on that mark as they travel to Oakland.
Taking the ball for Detroit in the second game is 26-year-old right Garrett Hill. In two games this season, he is 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, and he has four strikeouts in 11 innings.
In his last start, Hill took the loss after giving up six runs on six hits in just five innings of work. Prior to that, he had been solid against the Cleveland Guardians back on July 4, going six innings and allowing just one run.
Offensively, the Tigers continue to struggle. They rank dead last in the majors in scoring, averaging just 3.13 runs per game (2.62 on the road).
Leading the Tigers’ offense is shortstop Javier Baez. Despite hitting just .213/.251/.375, he leads the team with nine home runs, 35 runs batted in, and 30 runs scored.
A’s Look To Improve At The Coliseum
The Oakland Coliseum’s future as a MLB stadium may be nearing an end, and if this season is any indication, that might not be a bad thing for the Athletics. In 42 games there this season, the A’s are just 11-31, the worst record in baseball.
Taking the mound for Oakland Thursday is righty Frankie Montas. A likely trade candidate over the next few weeks, Montas is 3-9 with a 3.26 ERA in 17 games this season. He also has a 1.09 WHIP and has 100 strikeouts in 96.2 innings.
Montas has been out since early this month with shoulder inflammation and will make his first start since July 3. In that game, he allowed one run on two hits in an inning of work.
Over his last three starts, though, he has given up a combined three runs in 15 innings of work while striking out 16 in that span.
Offensively, Seth Brown has been the strongest A’s hitter. In 283 at bats, he is hitting .216/.269/.396 with a team-high ten home runs and 38 runs batted in.
Take Oakland At Home In The Nightcap
There is not much to like in this matchup. Detroit is awful on the road, while Oakland is awful at home. Furthermore, you have the two worst offenses in baseball as they combine to average just 6.42 runs per game.
For that reason, the key is to look at the pitching. Even though he is making his first start coming back from injury, the A’s have the upper hand in this matchup.
In the evening matchup, take Oakland to win outright (-164) on the moneyline, and don’t hesitate to take the under seven runs (-124) either.
