The Cincinnati Reds clash against the Detroit Tigers in the finale of their three-game set for Thursday afternoon inside Comerica Park at Detroit, Michigan. They toss out the first pitch at 1:10 pm. The Reds are looking to make a late-season push towards the post-season and they need to start winning series. They have an early start in this one and it should be a competitive contest. The Reds have won three straight after dropping three in a row. 

The Reds (76-71) have shown they are a tough team to play but they have also shown they are a tough team to figure out, because of their inability to play consistent baseball. On offense, they have some players that hit for average and have shown they can hit for power, including first baseman Spencer Steer who has cracked a team-high 20 home runs while driving in 78 runs and he is hitting .265 on the season.

The Reds are not going to win the NL Central but they are right there when it comes to the NL Wild Card and they are poised to grab a spot and make the postseason. They have to get some run support from their offense to help bail out their offense. 

They have yet to name a starter for Thursday's clash. They have won five of eight overall and their team ERA is 4.73 on the season. Their team batting average is .248 on the season and they have slugged 169 home runs as a whole. 

The Tigers (66-79) are firmly implanted in third place in the AL Central and they have no realistic shot at winning the division. And to add insult to injury, they have no shot at the playoffs as they are close to 15 games out of a possible wildcard spot in the American League. 

On offense, they have to get it going and they really need more pieces to build around Spencer Torkelson who has cracked a team-high 26 home runs to go along with 80 runs batted in. He has some power and he is a nice piece to build around, but the Tigers need to also add to their pitching staff.

They will send out 24-year-old Reese Olson who sports a 3-7 mark to go along with an ERA of 4.50. He has fanned just 25 in just over 85 innings of work. They would love for him to put in around six or so innings, but he needs 

The Tigers are 3-2 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the number. The Tigers are 40-31 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in two of their last five games and 38 out of their last 73 games at home. The Reds are 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are also 42-29 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in three of their last five games and 32 out of their last 75 games at home.