Detroit is in a free fall; a course Texas is hoping to keep them on 

Rangers at Tigers 

Comerica Park – Detroit, MI 

7:10 PM ET 

SuperBook Line: Texas -144 | Detroit +134 

The Rangers are mediocre. On the season, they’re 29-33, sitting 9.5 games behind the Astros in the American League West. 

They’re coming off back-to-back losses at home to Houston, including a rough 9-2 outing on Wednesday. And they’re just 4-6 in their last two games. 

Yet, Texas begins a four-game series in Detroit as the favorite. How can that be? 

For starters, the Tigers wish they were mediocre. They aspire for such a compliment. 

On the season, Detroit is 24-38. The Tigers are just 16-20 at Comerica Park. 

Recently, they’ve been even worse. The Tigers have lost four-straight games, all at home, while being outscored 33-6 by the Blue Jays and White Sox. 

Meanwhile, the Rangers have been good on the road. They’re 15-15 away from Texas on the season, including a 7-4 stretch in their last 11 games. 

Given the pitching matchup tonight, those two trends should continue. It’s a bit one-sided. 

The Rangers send Martin Perez to the mound. The lefthander is 4-2 on the season with a 2.18 ERA. He’s been terrific in his last eight starts, going 4-0 with four no decisions. Overall, Texas is 7-1 in those eight games. 

Meanwhile, the Tigers counter with Beau Brieske. The righty is 1-5 on the season with a 4.34 ERA, although he did get a win in his last start. That performance, however, appears to be an aberration, as Detroit is just 3-6 in game Brieske has started this season. 

The Rangers aren’t great, but they won’t need to be tonight. They’re facing the third-worst hitting team (.219 batting average) in all of baseball. They’ll be able to get it done against the Tigers. 

Richard DeMala’s pick: Texas M/L (-144) 

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Thursday’s MLB Quick Picks 

Boston M/L (-160) 

Cleveland M/L (-135) 

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Wednesday’s MLB Winners 

Atlanta -1.5 (-113) 

San Diego M/L (+116)