Two teams playing out the string and needing a miracle to reach the playoffs meet when the Detroit Tigers take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the second of a three-game set Wednesday night inside Comerica Park from Detroit, Michigan. They toss out the first pitch at 6:40 pm. The Tigers are making a last-gasp push toward October.
Bookmaker has installed the Tigers -120 ML.
The Tigers, as crazy as it sounds, are correct in the mix when it comes to an improbable postseason appearance. They are tied with their rival Kansas City Royals for the second Wild Card spot in the American League as these two AL Central teams will battle it out over the last week or so.
The Tigers entered this series against the Rays as a red-hot team, winning 11 out of their last 13 games. They started this series with Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
They still have some issues with scoring runs consistently this season. They have a run differential of +37, which is okay. However, the teams poised to make a deep run into the playoffs have much better numbers than that.
They are led by left fielder Riley Greene, who has cracked 24 home runs with 72 RBI. He is batting .262. As a team, the Tigers collectively bat just .234 on the season. If they secure a spot in the postseason, they will have to do a better job of getting on base and getting runners in scoring position.
They will hand the ball over to 24-year-old Keider Montero, who sports a record of 6-6 to go along with an ERA of 4.86. He has won two out of his last three starts.
The Rays playoff hopes are clinging by a thread, and they can be eliminated by week's end. They have only themselves to blame, and their starting pitching has not given them the kind of effort and outings that made them so dangerous and successful last season.
They have a team ERA of 3.79 and have put a strain on their offense because they have been unable to work out of jams or go deep into games. On offense, the Rays are paced by second baseman Brandon Lowe, who has smacked 20 home runs this season and driven in 55 runs. He is batting .242 on the season.
Tampa Bay will likely try to add another arm for their rotation and some power in their lineup.
They have a run differential of -55, which is also one of the main reasons they will miss the playoffs. They had high expectations heading into 2024, and this season has been a dud.
The Tigers are 4-1 in their last five games and 4-1 in their previous five games against the spread too. They are also a solid 48-33 in their road games against the number, and the totals have gone over in two out of their last five games and 35 out of their last 75 games at home. The Rays are 4-1 in their previous five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 40-35 in their road games against the spread. The totals have not gone over in two out of their last two games.
