The visiting Tigers are favored against the resilient A's in Game 5 of the ALDS series, as the teams hook up at O.co Coliseum Thursday.
Justin Verlander, with a record of 18-8 on the season, gets the ball for the Tigers, while the Athletics trot Jarrod Parker to the mound in this one. He is 13-9 so far in 2012.
Oakland's charmed season continued with a ninth-inning rally last night in Game 4. Do they have any magic against the reigning Cy Young and AL MVP in Verlander?
View Detroit vs Oakland Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had installed the Athletics as +134 moneyline underdogs in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 6.5 before betting started to move the line at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Athletics at No. 9 in the American League and the Tigers at No. 2 in the American League heading into this contest.
How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Oakland's American League No. 8-ranked scoring average of 4.4 runs per game, against a Tigers offense rated No. 6 and scoring 4.5 runs per game in the league. The Athletics have averaged 8.1 hits per game to date this season, less than the Tigers hitters have managed (9.1 per nine innings).
Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Oakland has the American League's No. 2-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Tigers own the American League's No. 5 mark in runs allowed.
Detroit lost its last outing, a 4-3 result against the Athletics on October 10. Bettors who backed the Athletics at -108 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Detroit suffered a 4-3 loss against Oakland on Wednesday, as Max Scherzer wasn't able to lead his team to victory at O.co Coliseum.
Detroit Tigers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing Oakland are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4
Oakland Athletics Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
After playing Detroit are 6-4
After a win are 7-3
A few Tigers at Athletics trends to consider:
Detroit is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games on the road
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Oakland is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games at home
