In the first of a four-game series between the Detroit Tigers (24-17) and the Houston Astros (24-17) at Comerica Park, David Price (3-1, 3.40 ERA) and Scott Feldman (3-4, 5.06 ERA) get the start. The game starts at 1:08 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 21 and will air on ROOT-SW and FSN-DET.
Price is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA against the Astros in his career, and faces a less-than-stellar Houston offense that’s hitting just .231 on the year. Miguel Cabrera (.331, 23 Rs, 10 HRs, 30 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday. In his career against the Tigers, Feldman is 1-3 with a 7.34 ERA. He gets a solid Detroit offense that’s batting .278. Jake Marisnick (.299, 17 Rs, 3 HRs, 16 RBIs, 9 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Detroit, a -166 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. When playing as the favorite, the Tigers have a 15-11 record and overall money line at +358. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the favorite (2-5). The Tigers are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 37 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball.
On the other side, the Astros have a nice record of 16-6 when they are the underdog and are +1,323 overall with the money line. The Astros are the top-ranked scoring offense in the AL when playing on the road, averaging five runs per game so far. Houston is one of the top road hitting teams in the AL with an average of 9.2 hits per contest. The Astros have racked up 39 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. The Astros are a problem for opposing batters, sporting an AL-low 3.12 ERA on the road this season. They have a WHIP of 1.14 on the year, good for tops in the league.
This game will feature Feldman (RHP) on the mound against the Tigers, who have a 16-14 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The left-handed Price will take the mound against the Astros. Against lefty starters this season, they’ve racked up an impressive 10-5 record overall and 4-1 on the road.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
The Astros are 3-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 2-1 in such matchups.
The Houston batters brought in a solid 10 hits last game. Detroit has a record of 5-11 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 16-4. The Tigers have a 21-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th in runs, Detroit has earned 178 this season. Houston ranks seventh with 182 runs.
Ranking sixth, Houston is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 141 this season. Detroit ranks in the top five at third with 142.
When the Tigers hit at least one home run, they are 16-5. When the Astros hit at least one homer, they have a 21-8 record.
