Michael Fulmer (9-3, 2.43 ERA) is on the hill for the Detroit Tigers (62-54) as they square off against A.J. Griffin (5-1, 4.38 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (69-49) in the last of a three-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Tigers won the last game 2-0, and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 14 and can be seen on FSDT and FSSW.
Griffin pitched 4.2 innings in his most recent start, surrendering five runs, striking out five and walking three in a 7-5 win over the Rockies. Fulmer went 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out six and walking one in a 3-0 defeat to the Mariners in his last outing. Miguel Cabrera (.312, 65 Rs, 26 HRs, 76 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Tigers, going 2 for 4 yesterday.
Detroit is a narrow -113 favorite over Texas. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 10 runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +2,455 and a record as the underdog of 39-31. Texas has gone 3-1 in its last 10 as the underdog. The Rangers have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in home offense with 5.3 runs per game. The Rangers are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits with an impressive 9.1 per game.
Over in the other dugout, Detroit is coming in with an overall money line of +1,352 and an impressive record of 31-13 as the favorite. Offensively, they average 4.7 runs per game, which is good for fifth in the AL.
The Rangers lead the season series, 4-1. The Rangers have a 52-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Fulmer takes the mound. Griffin (RHP) will be on the hill against the Tigers, who have a 45-37 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TEX, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Texas is 32-22, while Detroit is 30-23.
The Tigers are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded four strikeouts. The Rangers have a record of 11-3 when opponents’ pitchers have four strikeouts or less.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 47-11. The Rangers have a 45-9 record when outhitting opponents.
Texas and Detroit both rank in the top 10 of the league in runs. Texas sits at seventh with 554 runs this season and Detroit ranks eighth with 543.
Ranking 27th, Texas is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 307 this season. Detroit ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 345.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 57-33, well-matched with the Tigers who are 50-30 when hitting one or more homers.
