Friday, April 15, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Pelfrey vs. Dallas Keuchel

The Detroit Tigers visit Minute Maid Park on Friday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Mike Pelfrey for the Tigers and Dallas Keuchel for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Detroit at +170 and Houston at -180. The over/under was set at 8. The Tigers have a 6-1-0 over/under record and a 4-3-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 57% of the time. The Astros are 3-6-0 against the run line and have a 6-3-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 33% of the time.

The Tigers head into this matchup with a 5-2 record, including 3-0 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 14.73 and a WHIP of 2.46. He has 3 strikeouts over his 3.2 innings pitched and he has given up 8 hits so far this season. He has allowed 19.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.9. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.63 and they have given up 29 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .276 against the bullpen while being struck out 22 times and walking 10 times this season. As a team, Detroit has allowed 8.72 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.78 batters per nine. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Tigers pitchers have collectively given up 63 base hits and 30 earned runs. They have allowed 4 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 27 batters and struck out 49. They walk 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 3.80.

As a team, Detroit is batting .296, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .302 average away from home. The Tigers hold a .482 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .359 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.71 hits per game. Miguel Cabrera comes into this game hitting .269 and his on-base percentage is at .406. He has 7 hits this season along with 5 runs scored and 4 runs batted in. He's struck out 5 times and has walked 6 times. Justin Upton is hitting .313 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 10 hits so far while scoring 5 runs and he's driven in 2. He has walked 1 times and has struck out 13 times. The Tigers have 75 hits, including 11 doubles and 12 home runs. They've stolen 0 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Detroit has walked 26 times this season and they've struck out 64 times as a unit. They've left 51 men on base and have a team OPS of .842. They score 6 runs per contest and have scored a total of 42 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 1-2 home record and a 3-6 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.55, Dallas Keuchel has a 1-1 record and a 1.50 WHIP. He has 13 strikeouts over the 12.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 9 hits. He has allowed 6.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.49. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 6.16 and they have given up 28 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 38 times and walking 11 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.35 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.88 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 5.38. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 80 base knocks and 46 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 15 home runs this year and they give up 1.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 31 hitters and struck out 76. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 4.94.

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .267 average at home. The Astros hold a .468 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.33 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .297 and he has an OBP of .381. He has 11 hits this year along with 10 runs scored and 4 RBI. He's struck out 5 times and has walked on 4 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .314 and he has an OBP of .368. He has collected 11 hits so far while he's scored 6 runs and drove in 6. He has earned a walk 3 times and has punched out 8 times. The Astros as a unit have 75 base hits, including 18 doubles and 14 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Houston as a team has walked 30 times this year and they have struck out 93 times. They've had 56 men left on base and have an OPS of .788. They score 4.44 runs per game and have totaled 40 runs so far this season.

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 6-1-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 4-3-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 6-3-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 3-6-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Detroit Tigers

04/13/16 DH Victor Martinez Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
04/12/16 C James McCann Ankle 15-day DL (4/12)
04/10/16 P Alex Wilson Shoulder 15-day DL (4/7)
04/04/16 P Blaine Hardy Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 CF Cameron Maybin Wrist 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Daniel Norris Back 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jeff Ferrell Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Angel Nesbitt Ankle 15-day DL (3/25)

Houston Astros

04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/02/16 C Max Stassi Wrist 15-day DL (3/29)

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros

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