Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 8/22/2019
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Minute Maid Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Jordan Zimmermann vs. Gerrit Cole
Niko Goodrum and the Detroit Tigers (37-86, 5th in AL Central) travel to Minute Maid Park on Thursday where they'll take on the Houston Astros (81-46, 1st in AL West). The Astros open this contest at -500 while the Tigers are coming in at +384. The over/under is set at 9.
The Tigers have been an awful choice for wagerers, having gone 37-86-0 SU. Houston is covering 63.8% of the time, going 81-46-0 straight up.
Valuable Detroit Tigers Betting Trends
The Tigers have been a pretty good Under play for O/U wagerers, having gone 54-60-9.
Detroit is covering 32.3% of the time as the visitor, having gone 20-42-0 straight up.
Important Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Astros cover 75.0% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 45-15-0 SU.
The Astros have been a pretty good Under play for O/U wagerers, having gone 55-67-5.
Key Detroit Tigers Injuries
8/20/2019 Niko Goodrum SS Groin Probable for Aug 21
8/20/2019 Jeimer Candelario 3B Thumb Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/20/2019 Travis Demeritte RF Groin Probable for Aug 21
8/14/2019 Christin Stewart LF Concussion Expected to be out until at least Aug 21
8/14/2019 JaCoby Jones CF Wrist Out for the season
8/14/2019 Blaine Hardy RP Elbow Out for the season
8/11/2019 Tyson Ross SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 11
7/24/2019 Grayson Greiner C Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 27
4/30/2019 Matt Moore SP Knee Out for the season
3/23/2019 Michael Fulmer SP Elbow Out for the season
10/25/2019 Artie Lewicki RP Elbow Out for the season
Key Houston Astros Injuries
8/21/2019 Carlos Correa SS Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 30
8/20/2019 Aaron Sanchez SP Pectoral Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
8/20/2019 Josh James RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 8
8/18/2019 Aledmys Diaz 2B Head Expected to be out until at least Aug 28
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Tigers have a 37-86 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann has a 1-8 record with an earned run average of 6.66 and a WHIP of 1.51 this season. He has 57 strikeouts over his 77 innings pitched and he's given up 95 hits. He's allowed 11.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.56. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.02 and they have given up 483 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the bullpen and they've struck out 432 hitters and walked 217 batters. As a team, Detroit allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.12. The Tigers pitchers collectively have given up 1,171 base hits and 628 earned runs. They have allowed 188 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 414 batters and struck out 1,028. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 4.83.
Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Detroit is hitting .237, good for 30th in the league. The Tigers hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .294, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Niko Goodrum is hitting .249 with an on-base percentage of .322. He has 104 hits this season in 418 at bats with 44 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .416 and an OPS+ of 92. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .283 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .344. He has totaled 115 hits and he has driven in 50 men in 407 at bats. His OPS+ is 94 while his slugging percentage is at .393. The Tigers have 1,010 hits, including 228 doubles and 115 home runs. Detroit has walked 321 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,230 times as a unit. They have left 840 men on base and have a team OPS of .681. They score 3.6 runs per contest and have scored a total of 447 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Houston has a 81-46 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.87, Gerrit Cole has a 14-5 record and a 0.98 WHIP. He has 226 strikeouts over the 156.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 114 hits. He's allowing 6.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.1. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.71 and they have given up 371 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 473 batters and walked 151 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.74. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 956 base knocks and 474 earned runs this season. They have given up 185 home runs this year, which ranks 9th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 354 hitters and struck out 1,280 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.15 while their FIP as a staff is 4.09.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .274, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .486 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .349, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.5 hits per contest. Michael Brantley comes into this matchup batting .334 with an OBP of .393. He has 156 hits this year along with 76 RBI in 467 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .540 with an OPS+ of 144. George Springer is hitting .293 this season and he has an OBP of .378. He has collected 110 hits in 376 at bats while driving in 68 runs. He has an OPS+ of 147 and a slugging percentage of .569. The Astros as a unit have 1,201 base hits, including 249 doubles and 215 homers. Houston has walked 490 times this year and they have struck out on 907 occasions. They have had 912 men left on base and have an OPS of .836. They have scored 5.48 runs per game and totaled 696 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Tigers/Astros MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Tigers (+384)
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