The Detroit Tigers (37-47) host the Oakland Athletics (24-63) at Comerica Park on Wednesday. The Athletics took Tuesday’s series opener 1-0 in 10 innings.
Shintaro Fujinami got the win with one scoreless inning out of the bullpen, and Trevor May earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth. Ryan Noda was 1 for 3 with one RBI in the win. Matt Vierling went 2 for 4 for the Tigers.
ON THE MOUND
Ken Waldichuk (1-5, 6.78 ERA) is slated for the start for Oakland. The LHP threw 2.2 scoreless innings in relief in his last appearance, a 10-4 home defeat against the Yankees on Thursday. He yielded one hit while striking out two and walking one.
LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-4, 2.13 ERA) will toe the rubber for Detroit. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Athletics. In his last start on May 28, Rodriguez took a no-decision at home against the White Sox. He threw six innings and gave up one run on five hits, striking out six and walking two in the 6-5 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Oakland has averaged 5.2 runs a game, up from their season average of 3.5, while performing better across the board (.240/.309/.386). Against left-handed pitchers like Rodriguez this season, the A’s have a .668 OPS, the third lowest in the league.
Brent Rooker is the team’s best hitter against left-handers with a .926 OPS in 71 at-bats. Detroit is averaging 6.2 runs per game in the last five, up from 3.9 for the season, with a higher slash line (.254/.310/.459).
The Tigers have a .697 OPS against left-handers in 2023. With a .783 OPS over 69 at-bats, Spencer Torkelson has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Oakland is 12-31 away from home in 2023, scoring 3.8 runs per game while allowing 6.6 runs. Detroit has gone 18-22 at home this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 5.0. Oakland is 8-2 in the last 10 games at Comerica Park between the teams with an average scoreline of 5.1-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Athletics are fifth in the AL West, 27 games behind the division-leading Rangers. The Tigers are third in the AL Central, five games behind the Twins.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Detroit Tigers -1.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
