Yu Darvish (2-3, 2.78 ERA) gets the start for the Texas Rangers (68-48) as they go up against Anibal Sanchez (6-11, 5.88 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (61-53) in the first of a three-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The game gets underway at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 12 and will air on FSDT and FSSW.
In his last start, Darvish pitched 7.0 innings, allowing zero runs and striking out eight in a 5-3 victory over the Astros. Rougned Odor (.281, 70 Rs, 22 HRs, 60 RBIs, 11 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 5 with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs. The Tigers were unsuccessful the last time Sanchez pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 8.0 innings, giving up one run and striking out 10 in a 3-1 loss to the Mets. J.D. Martinez (.297, 41 Rs, 14 HRs, 42 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 Wednesday with one RBI.
Texas is a -177 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at nine runs. The Rangers perform well as a favorite with a 29-17 record and have an overall money line of +2,528. The Rangers come into the game with the AL’s third-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 5.2 runs per game in their own ballpark. The Rangers rank fifth in the AL in hits at home with 9.3 per game.
On the other side, the Tigers have a record of 30-40 when they are the underdog and are +1,289 overall with the money line. They have played poorly as the underdog as of late. They managed a 1-3 record when playing as the underdog and a SU record of 5-5. They sport the fourth-ranked offense in the AL, averaging 4.7 runs per game. The Tigers are one of the top road hitting teams in the AL, averaging 9.1 hits in games away from home. Switching gears to Detroit’s pitching staff, they allow just 2.9 walks per game, good for fifth in the AL.
The previous three games have all gone Texas’s way. This game will feature Sanchez (RHP) on the mound against the Rangers, who have a 51-33 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Tigers will be the right-hander Darvish. They sport a 45-36 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TEX, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rangers managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Tigers who are coming in with a 13-7 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 10-37. The Rangers have an 18-35 record when opponents outhit them.
Tied at sixth for total home runs, Texas and Detroit have each hit 148 homers this season.
Ranking sixth, Texas is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.97 per game. Detroit ranks in the top five at second with 9.22.
Texas and Detroit both rank in the top 10 of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Texas sits at 10th with an OPS of .757, and Detroit ranks seventh with an OPS of .765.
When the Tigers allow at least one home run, they are 32-37. When the Rangers allow one or more homers, they have a 42-41 record.
