It’s a weekend battle between two American League clubs beginning Friday, May 9. Read our Texas Rangers vs Detroit Tigers prediction along with our other top MLB predictions. This game will pit two strong left-handed pitchers against each other from the get-go. Patrick Corbin starts for the Rangers while star Tarik Skubal looks to continue his dominant form at home. The Rangers remain several games back of first place in the American League West. The Tigers have been strong this year sitting in first place in the Central Division. These two teams will meet with the first pitch set for 6:40 P.M. EST.
Rangers struggling in past several weeks
Texas is 18-20 overall this season. They sit in fourth place in the American League West Division. They are five games back of the Mariners for first place. The Rangers are 6-12 when they have played away from home. The Rangers have lost six of their last eight games entering Friday.
In their last game, the Rangers lost 5-0 to the Red Sox away from home on Thursday, May 8. The Rangers could only muster five hits in the loss. Jack Leiter earned the start in the game and threw 5.1 innings. He allowed four runs on three hits while striking out three batters in the defeat.
Patrick Corbin gets the start for the Rangers on Thursday. The left-handed pitcher is 2-1 this year with an ERA of 3.28. He’s started five games this year with his last outing coming against the Mariners on Saturday, May 3. Corbin threw 5.2 innings and he allowed one run and five hits while striking out just two batters in the 2-1 loss where he was credited with a no-decision. Texas is 2-3 when Corbin has started this year. He has an ERA of 5.00 when playing on the road.
The Rangers are hitting .234 this season which ranks sixth worst in the league. They have scored the third-fewest runs while ranking sixth worst in hits. The Rangers have struck out the ninth fewest times, but they rank second to last in walks. Texas is hitting .229 when playing on the road, too. The Rangers are hitting .229 when facing left-handed pitchers.
Detroit on 4-game winning streak
Detroit is 25-13 overall this season. They lead the American League Central Division by 2.5 games of the Guardians and the Royals. The Tigers have a 13-3 home record which is the best in the American League. Detroit has four straight games coming into Friday. They have also won seven of their last eight games entering this matchup.
In their last game, the Tigers defeated the Rockies 11-1 away from home on Thursday, May 8. The win helped Detroit sweep Colorado easily. Colt Keith nailed a homer to highlight the game while several players finished with multiple RBIs. Keider Montero threw 8.0 innings and he allowed just one run on five hits in the win.
On Friday, Detroit’s ace Tarik Skubal will get the nod and start against the Rangers. The left-handed pitcher is 3-2 with an ERA of 2.21. He has started in seven games and is coming off of a no-decision outing against the Angels on May 2. He threw 6.0 innings and allowed one run and four hits while striking out eight batters. The Tigers are 4-3 when Skubal has started this season. He’s been excellent at home with an ERA of 1.06 in three starts inside their ballpark.
The Tigers are hitting .256 this season which ranks eighth best in the league. They have scored the fourth most runs while they have the ninth most hits so far. Detroit has a power lineup which ranks sixth best in home runs hit. They are hitting .261 at home this season. They are also hitting .263 against left-handed pitchers.
Best Bets for Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Detroit’s Tarik Skubal gets the start as he continues to be one of the best pitchers in the sport. He will easily get past a Rangers lineup that ranks sixth worst in batting average. Skubal has an ERA of 1.06 at home this season. The Tigers lineup has also been strong scoring the fourth most runs. In an easy win, the Tigers will shut down the Rangers lineup. The bats will come alive for the Tigers, too. The Rangers will be starting Patrick Corbin and he’s going to struggle as he has a 5.00 road ERA.
Take the Tigers to cover.Â
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
The Rangers offense hasn’t been great when facing left-handed batters. They are hitting .229 while they also rank sixth worst in batting averages. Texas also has scored the third-fewest runs. This will all come to a head when Detroit’s starting pitcher Tarik Skubal dominates them. He has an ERA of 1.06 at home this year. The Rangers will struggle for runs as they will be dominated by Skubal.
Take the underÂ
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