Detroit Tigers vs Houston Astros Preview
On Saturday, the Astros and Tigers will face off in an American League matchup at 6:10 PM ET from Comerica Park in Detroit. The Tigers are the favorite at -133, and the over/under line is at 7 runs. Cristian Javier is starting for the Astros, and he is facing off against Tarik Skubal for Detroit.
Currently, the Astros are 14-24 this season, and the Tigers are 19-19. You can watch this game on BSDET, and the forecast looks good in Detroit on Saturday.
Check out BetCoco for Detroit Tigers – Houston Astros odds
Detroit Tigers Trends and Key Stats
- The Astros are 3-2 in their five most recent road games, including a 3-2 runline record.
- On the opposing side, the Tigers have a 1-4 (SU) record, along with a 2-3 record in their last five home contests.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Tigers have a record of 3-7 straight-up, and have gone 2-8 against the runline.
- Looking at the Astros’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 4-6 straight-up and 6-4 vs. the runline.
Houston picked up a 5-2 road win over the Tigers in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a big 8th inning, scoring four of their five runs. As for the Tigers, they scored their only two runs in the 3rd. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -149 on the money line.
Framber Valdez pitched well for the Astros in this one, going seven innings and giving up just two runs. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued two walks. Josh Hader closed things out for Houston. On the other side, Andrew Chafin took the loss for the Tigers out of the bullpen.
Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez each homered for the Astros, while Jeremy Pena scored twice and drove in a run while going 2/4. Andy Ibanez had a two-hit game for Detroit.
Detroit Tigers vs Houston Astros Prediction
The Astros are on the road today vs. the Tigers, and they are 14-24 overall, putting them 4th in the AL West. Currently, they trail the Rangers by seven games. So far, they have gone just 5-5 in divisional games. Houston has won two straight games, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 overall.
At home, the Astros are 7-12 this year, and they are an identical 7-12 on the road. So far, they have really struggled as the favorite, going 11-19. As for their record as the underdog, they are 3-5 this year. The Astros have an overall series record of 4-7-1 and lost two straight series before taking the first game of this series vs. the Tigers.
The Astros are 14-24 against the run line this season, including a 7-12 mark at home and on the road. They have covered in two straight road games and are 4-4 against the run line as an underdog. Houston’s average run differential this season is -0.7 runs per game, but it’s been much better in wins (+4.6) than in losses (-3.8).
The Houston Astros have played in 36 games this season with an over/under line set higher than 7 runs, and the over/under record in those games is 13-23. The combined run average in those games is 9.5 runs per game. The Astros have a two-game under streak, and their over/under record this season is 0-0 when the line is set at 7 runs.
Cristian Javier and the Astros are on the road to take on the Tigers today. Javier has started 2 games so far this season, and he has a win in each. He went 7 innings in his last start, giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 5. In his first start of the year, he went 5 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs and 5 hits.
Heading into today’s game, the Astros are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. They have been a better offense at home this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game. Overall, the Astros are batting .257, which is 3rd in the league, and they are the top team in the league in terms of fewest strikeouts per game. As a team, they are also near the top of the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Kyle Tucker comes into the game as the league’s top home run hitter and is 8th in the league with 26 RBIs. However, he has struggled of late, going just 5/31 in his last nine games. Jose Altuve has gone 10/38 in his last nine games and is batting .325 for the season. He is also on a three-game hitting streak. Jeremy Pena is also on a three-game hitting streak and has gone 12/32 in his last nine games.
Detroit is currently 4th in the AL Central, and they are 4.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. Overall, the Tigers have a record of 19-19, and they are 10-6 against other teams in the AL Central. The Tigers have dropped two straight games, and they lost the series opener vs. the Astros.
So far, the Tigers have gone 8-10 at home compared to 11-9 on the road. Detroit’s record as the favorite is 9-7 this year, and they are 10-12 as the underdog. The Tigers’ overall series record is 6-4-2, and they have lost two straight series.
The Tigers are 18-20 against the run line this season, with a run differential of +0.1 runs per game. They have been a much better bet on the run line on the road (13-7) than at home (5-13). They are also 15-7 against the run line as an underdog and just 3-13 as a favorite. When they win, they win by an average of 2.8 runs per game, while their losses have come by an average of -2.6 runs per game.
The Detroit Tigers have had a high percentage of games with over/under lines set at 7 runs this season, with just one of their 34 games having a line set lower than 7. Their games have averaged 7.9 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 17-19. Today’s over/under line is set at 7 runs, which is lower than their season average. In their last game, the over/under line was set at 8 runs, and the game finished with a total of 7 runs, going under the line.
Tarik Skubal gets the start for the Tigers today, and he comes into the game with a record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.90. Skubal has made seven starts this year and has pitched well, with five of his outings being quality starts. In his last outing, Skubal finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up two earned runs against the Yankees. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Skubal’s WHIP for the season is an impressive 0.77, and he is averaging 11.18 strikeouts per nine innings.
Andy Ibáñez has been hot of late for the Tigers, going 9/23 in his last eight games with two homers. He also has a three-game hitting streak coming into today’s game. Riley Greene, who leads the Tigers in RBIs and is 4th in the league in homers, has also gone deep twice in his last eight games, but he is just 8/33 in that stretch.
Greene is batting .254 for the season and has been a bright spot for the Tigers, as he is also 1st on the team in OBP and has 17 RBIs. Mark Canha is 2nd on the team in RBIs and has five homers this season but is batting just .240.
Our prediction for this Astros vs. Tigers matchup is that the Astros will come out on top by a final score of 5-4. With the money line payout for an Astros win sitting at +112, this is the bet we recommend making.
Looking at some potential starting pitcher props, we have Cristian Javier finishing with six strikeouts, which would have him finishing fifth among today’s starters. As for Tarik Skubal, his projected strikeout total is five, which would have him 16th.
Detroit Tigers vs Houston Astros Betting Tips
- We like the Astros on the moneyline (+112)
- The Astros are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Detroit Tigers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Gio Urshela | Out | Hamstring |
| Sawyer Gipson-Long | Out | Elbow |
Houston Astros Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Graveman | Out | Shoulder |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Out | Arm |
| Cristian Javier | Probable | Neck |
| Luis Garcia | Out | Elbow |
| Chas McCormick | Out | Hamstring |
| Bennett Sousa | Out | Shoulder |
| José Urquidy | Out | Forearm |
| Penn Murfee | Out | Elbow |
| Oliver Ortega | Out | Elbow |
