Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is expected to take the mound on Thursday night as his team opens up a four-game road series against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark.
The Tigers are only 4-4 over Verlander's first eight starts of the season, but the righthander has an ERA of just 1.93 and has fanned 57 in 51 1-3 innings of work. Detroit has posted a 7-3 record over Verlander's 10 most recent starts against Texas.
Getting the ball for the Rangers is Yu Darvish, who owns a 6-1 record on the season with a 2.73 ERA.
View Detroit vs Texas Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back visiting Detroit before the first pitch in this match found them as -120-moneyline underdogs earlier today at Sportsbook. They saw the total of 7 earlier at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings:
This game puts the Rangers, most recently No. 7 in the American League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Tigers, who rate an American League No. 1 in the latest survey.
How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Texas has the American League's No. 8-rated offensive output, at 9.1 hits per game. The Tigers average 10.4 hits per game, good for No. 1 on the American League list.
Comparing defensive stats, Detroit owns the American League's No. 2-rated road mark, allowing 3.6 runs per game on the highway. Texas, on the other hand, rates No. 2 in scoring at home.
Last time out for Detroit, they were a 7-5 loser as they battled the Astros at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Astros at +325 were rewarded, while the 12 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Detroit looks to rebound from a loss to the Astros, who beat them 7-5 on Wednesday behind a start from Dallas Keuchel at Comerica Park.
In their last action, Texas was a 6-2 Sportsbook on the road against the Athletics. Bettors on Texas at +105 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (8) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well. Texas got the job done in their last match in a 6-2 victory over Oakland on Wednesday at O.co Coliseum behind starter Alexi Ogando.
Detroit Tigers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Texas are 5-5
After playing Houston are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5
Texas Rangers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Detroit are 7-3
After playing Oakland are 3-7
After a win are 6-4
A few Tigers at Rangers trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Detroit's last 17 games when playing on the road against Texas
Detroit is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
Detroit is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas' last 5 games at home
Texas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
Next up:
Detroit at Texas, Friday, May 17
