The visiting Tigers hope for a solid performance on Friday as they look to steal a win at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Justin Verlander, with a record of 8-4 on the season, gets the ball for the Tigers, while the Rays trot David Price to the mound in this one. He is 10-4 so far in 2012.



View Detroit vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're going with the Rays in this one, they're listed as moneyline underdogs of +110 on most baseball betting menus for Monday's contest.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Rays rated this week at No. 4 and the Tigers sitting at No. 8.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Tampa Bay's No. 9-rated American League offense, averaging 4.2 runs per game, against a Tigers defense that ranks No. 10 in the American League at 4.5 in runs allowed per game. The Rays have averaged 7.7 hits per game so far, less than Tigers batters have averaged on the year (9.1 hits per game).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 6-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Tigers own the American League's No. 10 mark in runs allowed.

The Tigers were a 5-2 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Rays. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Detroit at +110 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. Detroit looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Rays, a 5-2 final on Thursday in support of Max Scherzer at Tropicana Field.




Detroit Tigers Trends:
When playing on Friday are 2-8
Before playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After a win are 5-5

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Detroit are 5-5
After playing Detroit are 5-5
After a loss are 3-7

A few Tigers at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Detroit is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home


Next up:
Detroit at Tampa Bay, Saturday, June 30