The Detroit Tigers are set to host the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game series starting Thursday night. The Tigers are coming off a thrilling 17-14 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, despite being outhomered 7-0. Derek Hill led the way with three hits, while Eric Hasse and Jeimer Candelario each drove in three runs.
Baltimore came back to defeat the Marlins yesterday, with Ryan McKenna walking with the bases loaded to walk off Miami at Camden Yards. The Orioles are 7-3 over their last ten games.
First pitch for tonight’s game between these two clubs is scheduled for 7:10 ET at Comerica Park.
Tigers Have Been A Different Team Post All-Star Break
Ever since the Midsummer Classic, the Tigers have been on a roll, winning nine out of thirteen games. The Tigers now sit third in the AL Central, ahead of both the Royals and Twins. Despite the fact that postseason contention is realistically not in the cards this year, Tigers fans have to be feeling great about the state of the rebuild.
Left fielder Akil Baddoo has done a phenomenal job in his rookie season with Detroit and has earned the spot of leading off. Badoo is batting for an OPS+ of 134 and is complemented by catcher Eric Haase, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, and veteran infielder Jonathan Schoop.
Miguel Cabrera’s contract is becoming a nightmare for Detroit, but the future Hall of Famer has started to heat up as of late. Over the course of his last four games, the 38-year-old has compiled five hits and five RBI’s.
Mullins, Mancini, But Who Else?
Cedric Mullins has had an incredible year for the Orioles thus far, culminating in the 26-year-old centerfielder representing Baltimore at the All-Star game. Mullins is hitting .319/.380/.545 for the Orioles thus far, while Trey Mancini will most likely take comeback of the year honors as he hasn’t missed a beat after missing the entire 2020 season battling colon cancer. Mancini leads the Orioles in homers with 18, and it’s been mostly himself and Mullins that have carried the load for Baltimore offensively.
No other daily starter on the Orioles has an OPS+ above 100, and it’s not going to help in this matchup when you don’t have an experienced pitcher on the mound either. Southpaw Alexander Wells gets the nod for the Orioles, with only 10.1 innings of work under his belt so far in 2021. Meanwhile, Detroit will throw out one of their most consistent starters this year in former first overall pick Casey Mize. At just 24 years of age, Mize has an ERA of 117 with a WHIP of 1.13 in his first full MLB season.
The Pick: Tigers to Win
The pitching matchup clearly favors Detroit in this one, and I like how the Tigers are hitting as of late. Other than Mullins and Mancini, a quality pitcher in Mize should have no problem getting through an Orioles lineup that sometimes looks like a Triple-A team. Bet on the Tigers to win their third game in a row on Thursday night in the Motor City.
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