Saturday, April 16, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Justin Verlander vs. Collin McHugh

The Detroit Tigers visit Minute Maid Park on Saturday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Justin Verlander for the Tigers and Collin McHugh for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Detroit at +124 and Houston at -134. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Tigers have a 7-1-0 over/under record and a 5-3-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 63% of the time. The Astros are 3-7-0 against the run line and have a 6-3-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 30% of the time.

The Tigers head into this matchup with a 6-2 record, including 4-0 on the road. Starting pitcher Justin Verlander has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 8.71 and a WHIP of 1.65. He has 7 strikeouts over his 10.1 innings pitched and he has given up 13 hits so far this season. He has allowed 11.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.28. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.56 and they have given up 37 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .308 against the bullpen while being struck out 22 times and walking 11 times this season. As a team, Detroit has allowed 9.36 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.45 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.14. The Tigers pitchers have collectively given up 77 base hits and 34 earned runs. They have allowed 4 home runs this season and they allow 0.5 homers per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 30 batters and struck out 53. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 3.78.

As a team, Detroit is batting .295, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .297 average away from home. The Tigers hold a .477 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 10.5 hits per game. Miguel Cabrera comes into this game hitting .241 and his on-base percentage is at .389. He has 7 hits this season along with 6 runs scored and 4 runs batted in. He's struck out 7 times and has walked 7 times. Justin Upton is hitting .297 and he has an on-base percentage of .316. He has totaled 11 hits so far while scoring 6 runs and he's driven in 2. He has walked 1 time and has struck out 14 times. The Tigers have 84 hits, including 13 doubles and 13 home runs. They've stolen 1 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Detroit has walked 29 times this season and they've struck out 71 times as a unit. They've left 55 men on base and have a team OPS of .835. They score 6.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 49 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 6.14, Collin McHugh has a 1-1 record and a 1.91 WHIP. He has 4 strikeouts over the 7.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 11 hits. He has allowed 13.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.35. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 5.56 and they have given up 32 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .241 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 41 times and walking 12 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.73 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.48 batters per nine. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.44. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 93 base knocks and 52 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 16 home runs this year and they give up 1.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 32 hitters and struck out 81. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.87.

As a team, they are batting .242, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .246 average at home. The Astros hold a .455 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311 which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .317 and he has an OBP of .391. He has 13 hits this year along with 11 runs scored and 5 RBI. He's struck out 6 times and has walked on 4 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .308 and he has an OBP of .357. He has collected 12 hits so far while he's scored 6 runs and drove in 7. He has earned a walk 3 times and has punched out 8 times. The Astros as a unit have 80 base hits, including 19 doubles and 15 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 5 times. Houston as a team has walked 32 times this year and they have struck out 102 times. They've had 58 men left on base and have an OPS of .766. They score 4.2 runs per game and have totaled 42 runs so far this season.

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 7-1-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 5-3-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 6-3-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 3-7-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Detroit Tigers

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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

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