Heading into game two of this American League matchup, the Tigers (48-61, 22-31 home) will send Tarik Skubal to the mound against the Rays (67-45, 30-26 away) and Aaron Civale. Check out my pick for today’s Tampa Bay Rays vs. Detroit Tigers game in Detroit.

TAMPA BAY RAYS VS DETROIT TIGERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -149

This game will be played at Comerica Park at 1:10 ET on Saturday, August 5th.

WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY RAYS:

  • Looking at the Rays’ last five games as the underdog, they are just 1-4.
  • In their four most recent games as the favorite, the Rays are 4-0.
  • Opponents are hitting just .206 against Aaron Civale in his last four starts.

CAN THE TAMPA BAY RAYS PULL OUT A WIN AS ROAD FAVORITES?

Tampa Bay comes into the game with an above .500 series record on the road at 8-7. Currently, the Rays are 2nd in the AL East with an overall record of 67-45. Against the runline, they are 57-55 and have an over/under mark of 57-51. On the road, Tampa Bay has a runline record of 28-28.

Aaron Civale has been a consistent presence in the rotation this season, with 13 appearances and a 5-2 record. His ERA of 2.34 is backed up by a WHIP of 1.04 and an opponents’ slugging percentage of .304. The right-hander has also been impressive in the strikeout department, notching 58 K’s over 78 innings pitched (6.78 strikeouts per nine innings). Civale has been especially effective on the road, where his ERA stands at 1.91 compared to 3.23 at home (2-1 record on the road; 3-1 at home).

The Rays are hoping Aaron Civale can lead them to another victory, as he was instrumental in their 5-0 win over the White Sox the last time he took the mound. The right-hander hurled six frames of scoreless baseball, allowing just three hits.

Offensively, Tampa Bay is ranked 4th in the league with an average of 5.2 runs per game. When looking over their last ten matchups, the Rays averaged 5.6 runs per contest, which is 9th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Tampa Bay is 4th in all of baseball, with a total of 163 home runs.

Isaac Paredes has been on fire for the Rays over their last five games, leading the team in hits and batting .375. The season-long numbers for Paredes are also impressive, as he is hitting .259 and has driven in 65 runs.

WILL THE DETROIT TIGERS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Tigers’ overall record of 48-61 puts them 3rd in the AL Central. Their straight-up record at home stands at 22-31 compared to a runline mark of 26-27 when playing at Comerica Park. It is worth noting that the Tigers have a series record of just 6-11 at home. Detroit’s over/under record comes in at 56-49.

Tarik Skubal is 1-1 in five outings for the Tigers this season, with an ERA of 4.57 and a K/9 rate of 11.22. His FIP is 1.33 and his OBP is .259.

Tarik Skubal was unable to secure a victory in his most recent outing, as the Tigers fell 8-6 to the Marlins. The lefty lasted 4 2/3 innings, surrendering four runs on six hits while notching a no-decision.

During their last five games, Detroit is the 21st ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .211 and are averaging 3.6 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Tigers are hitting .231 with an OBP of .298 while averaging 3.9 runs per contest. This figure puts them 26th in the league.

Matt Vierling has been a consistent offensive force for the Detroit Tigers this season, boasting a .272 batting average and .395 slugging percentage. In the team’s last ten games, Vierling has been particularly impressive, leading the Tigers in hits and hitting at an impressive .315 clip.