In the first of a three-game series between the Detroit Tigers (39-36) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (39-36) at Comerica Park, Justin Verlander (0-1, 6.17 ERA) and Gerrit Cole (11-3, 2.16 ERA) take the mound. The game starts at 7:08 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 30 and will air on FSN-DET and ROOT-PIT.
Verlander is 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 11 walks against the Pirates in his career. In his career against the Tigers, Cole is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and eight strikeouts. Andrew McCutchen (.294, 40 Rs, 9 HRs, 44 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 Sunday.
Detroit, a +118 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Pittsburgh. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The Tigers are 15-17 as the underdog and have an overall money line of -9. They have an SU record of 7-7 against the NL and a 4-4 record when they were the underdog in those games. The most recent 10-game stretch for the Tigers has gone great. Over that span, Detroit is averaging 5.5 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.4. The Tigers lead the AL in hits with 9.4 per game. Detroit’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game rose to 6.5 during that span, compared to its 4.4 season average.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Pirates come into this game with a solid win percentage of .655 when playing as the favorite (36-19) and an overall money line of +216. Against AL opponents, they are 5-4 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 5-4 record. Pittsburgh is a terror on the base paths, ranking fifth in the MLB with 56 stolen bases. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Pittsburgh pitchers. They allowed 4.5 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 3.4.
The Tigers are 2-1 against the Pirates this season. The Tigers will take on a right-hander (Cole) in this game and have a 28-29 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Verlander will take the mound against the Pirates, who have a 34-27 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Detroit is 17-14, while Pittsburgh is 12-18.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Pirates have a 6-9 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 4-25. The Pirates have a 7-24 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 26th in home runs, Pittsburgh has hit 56 this season. Detroit ranks 17th with 66 home runs.
Ranking first in hits, Detroit has earned 9.45 per game this season. Pittsburgh ranks sixth with 8.80 hits.
Ranking 21st, Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.689). Detroit ranks in the top five at fifth with an OPS of .754.
The Pirates are 12-23 when they allow at least one home run. The Tigers perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 16-27 record.
