Anibal Sanchez (3-4, 4.76 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (23-16) go up against Jimmy Nelson (1-4, 4.22 ERA) and the Milwaukee Brewers (14-25) in the second of a three-game interleague series at Comerica Park. The Brewers won the last game 3-2 and Milwaukee leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 7:08 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May. 19 and will air on FSN-WI and FSN-DET.
Sanchez has a 5.30 ERA and a 2-1 record in his career against the Brewers, but is up against a less-than-stellar Milwaukee offense that’s hitting just .227 on the year. Miguel Cabrera (.333, 23 Rs, 10 HRs, 30 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday. The Brewers were unsuccessful the last time Nelson pitched. He struggled, going, going 6.2 innings, allowing four runs, striking out three and walking two in a 4-2 loss to the White Sox. Ryan Braun (.254, 22 Rs, 8 HRs, 23 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one stolen base.
Detroit is a -160 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Tigers perform well as a favorite with a 15-9 record and have an overall money line of +628. They have a 4-2 record SU against the National League. The Tigers have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire AL, averaging 4.5 runs per game. The Tigers are a superb hitting team with 9.7 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in all of baseball with 35 steals. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, the Detroit pitching staff and defense has been very good, only giving up 4.0 runs per game. The Tigers don’t give up many walks to opposing batters, ranking fourth in the AL with only 2.5 walks allowed per game.
On the other side, the Brewers have a subpar record of 9-15 when they are the underdog and are -1,139 overall with the money line. Interleague opponents have been shutting down Milwaukee this season. The Brewers hold a record of 0-1 in games where they were ranked as the underdog and a 1-2 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 4.8 runs per game, above their 3.7 season average.
The only other game between the two teams went Milwaukee’s way. The Tigers will take on a right-hander (Nelson) in this game and have a 16-12 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Brewers will be the right-hander Sanchez. Right-handed starters have been a big issue for them as they sport an 11-19 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Detroit is 11-5, while Milwaukee is 6-9.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Brewers have a 9-16 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 1-11. The Brewers have a 5-20 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 15th in home runs, Detroit has hit 34 this season. Milwaukee ranks ninth with 38 home runs.
Ranking 15th, Milwaukee is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.47 per game. Detroit ranks in the top five at second with 9.66.
Ranking 28th, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.660). Detroit ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .776.
The Brewers are 9-20 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Tigers are 8-11 when they allow at least one homer.
