Detroit travels to Pittsburgh for inter-league play on Friday, hoping to secure a victory over the Pirates.

Brad Penny, with a record of 4-3 on the season, gets the ball for the Tigers, while the Pirates trot Jeff Karstens to the mound in this one. He is 1-2 so far in 2011.



View Detroit vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had set the Pirates as +120 underdogs on the Sportsbook moneyline for this contest. The over under opened at 8.5 for bettors hoping to turn a profit on totals.

Power Rankings:
It's a baseball betting matchup between the National League No. 16-rated Pirates and the league No. 8-ranked Tigers, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Pittsburgh's No. 13-rated National League offense, averaging 3.7 runs per game, against a Tigers defense that ranks No. 8 in the American League at 4.2 in runs allowed per game. The Pirates have averaged 7.7 hits per game so far, less than Tigers batters have averaged on the year (8.6 hits per game).

Defensively, Detroit features the American League's No. 13-rated defense on the road, allowing 4.9 runs per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in at No. 14 in the National League at home, scoring 3.1 runs per game.

The Tigers were a 4-3 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Red Sox. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Boston at -134 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. Detroit looks to rebound from a loss to the Red Sox, who beat them 4-3 on Thursday behind a start from Josh Beckett at Fenway Park.

The Pirates were a 5-3 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Reds. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Pittsburgh at +162 on the moneyline, while the total score (8) was good news for UNDER bettors. The Pirates grabbed a win last time out, defeating Johnny Cueto and the Reds 5-3 on Thursday at Great American Ball Park.


Detroit Tigers Trends:
When playing on Friday are 8-2
Before playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After playing Boston are 4-6
After a loss are 2-8

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Detroit are 4-6
After playing Cincinnati are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

A few Tigers at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games
Detroit is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Detroit


Next up:
Detroit at Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 21