Heading into game two of this American League matchup, the Athletics (46-107, 24-54 home) will send Ken Waldichuk to the mound against the Tigers (72-81, 40-38 away) and Sawyer Gipson-Long. Check out my pick for today’s Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics game in Oakland.

DETROIT TIGERS VS OAKLAND ATHLETICS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Detroit Tigers -1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum at 9:40 ET on Friday, September 22nd.

WHY BET THE DETROIT TIGERS:

  • The Tigers have put together a 4-1 record vs. the runline in their last five games as the favorite.
  • Against the runline, the Tigers have now covered in three straight games.
  • Ken Waldichuk has given up five away runs across his last four starts.

CAN THE DETROIT TIGERS PULL OUT A WIN AS ROAD FAVORITES?

For the season, the Tigers have put together a record of 72-81 and are 3rd in the AL Central, putting them nine games out of first place. Detroit’s overall series record sits at 20-26-5. On the road, they have gone 40-38 and 32-43 at home.

Today marks Sawyer Gipson-Long’s third outing of the 2023 campaign, and he has a 1-0 record to show for it. His ERA is currently 2.70, with an OBP allowed of .231. The righty has struck out 16 batters and boasts a WHIP of .90. On the road, Gipson-Long’s ERA stands at 1.80 compared to 3.60 when playing at home.

Sawyer Gipson-Long was not credited with the win, but his performance against the Angels was strong. He surrendered just one run and two hits in his outing, yet the Tigers still managed to come away with a 5-4 victory.

During their last ten games, Detroit is the 20th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .226 and are averaging 5.3 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Tigers are hitting .235 with an OBP of .302 while averaging 4 runs per contest. This figure puts them 27th in the league.

The Tigers’ offensive leader, Spencer Torkelson, has accumulated the most hits this season with a batting average of .232. His slugging percentage stands at .444 and on-base percentage is .312 entering the game.

WILL THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Heading into today’s game, the Athletics are 5th in the AL West with an overall record of 46-107. When looking at their performance in their 49 series, Oakland is 12-35-2. Against below .500 teams, the Athletics are 25-25 while going 22-53 on the road and 24-54 at home.

Ken Waldichuk has made 33 appearances this season, with a .469 slugging percentage allowed and a WHIP of 1.58. His record stands at 3-8, with an ERA of 5.40 and 122 strikeouts over the course of the season, averaging 8.45 strikeouts per nine innings. On the road, Waldichuk is 3-5 with an ERA of 6.97; at home he is 0-3 with an ERA of 4.87.

Ken Waldichuk’s most recent start ended in a 10-1 defeat for the Athletics at the hands of the Padres. The right-hander was tagged for six runs on nine hits over four innings of work.

Having gone deep 4 times in their last five games, the Athletics are 6th in that span. At 3.6 runs per game, Oakland is 28th in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .223 while hitting a total of 163 home runs (20th).

Brent Rooker has been a major contributor to the Athletics’ offensive success in 2023, leading the team in home runs with 28 and RBIs with 64. His slugging percentage of .481 has been a key factor in the team’s overall performance.