Astros vs Tigers Prediction and Betting Preview May 5
Astros vs Tigers Prediction and Spreads
The Tigers are coming off a double header yesterday which they split with the Pirates before heading to Houston for a four game series with the Astros. WagerTalk MLB analyst Brian Ochsner offers his Houston Astros vs Detroit Tigers preview for Thursday, May 5.
| Thursday, May 5 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Houston Astors (-148) vs Detroit Tigers (+138) |
| Runline: | Astros +1.5 (+130) / Tigers -1.5 (-150) |
| Total: | 8 Runs (Over -120 / Under -100) |
| Game Time: | 8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
| Where: | Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX |
| Weather: | Retractable Roof |
Astros vs Tigers Analysis
The Detroit Tigers visit Minute Maid Park to play the Houston Astros in the first of a four game set. Southpaw Tarik Skrubal goes against righty Jose Urquidy.
The Tigers are coming off a doubleheader yesterday at home against the Pirates before traveling to Texas, and Houston finished a three-game sweep of the Mariners.
Tigers Send Out Skubal
When you think of the best bullpen with the lowest ERA in Major League Baseball, what team would you guess – the Dodgers? Close, but not quite at 3rd. The Yankees? Also close, as they’re 2nd. Believe it or not, this bullpen is: The Detroit Tigers with a 2.26 ERA. That’s pret-ty, pret-ty good, as Larry David would say.
The Tigers team ERA is 11th-best at 3.49 with a 1.18 WHIP. And this year, they’ll need the pitching to be good, because the hitting is not. Detroit has a 4th-worst .617 OPS and .226 team average.
Tarik Skubal is a talented pitcher with solid season-long numbers on the surface. In 20.2 innings of work, the southpaw has an ERA of 3.05, a WHIP of 1.21 and 20 strikeouts.
However, in two of the outings against the White Sox and Twins he gave up seven earned runs and 13 hits in 9.0 innings. He’s only walked three hitters this year, which is great. But when he misses, he tends to miss badly, and that leads to plenty of hits and runs.
Astros Aim For Four Straight
After a solid opening start against the Angels, Houston starter Jose Urquidy has had some rough outings. However, two of those three starts were against the Blue Jays (one of the best lineups in baseball) and back-to-back in less than a week.
Season long numbers aren’t great with a 5.95 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in four starts and 19.2 innings, but his career numbers are a lot better with a 3.79 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 197.1 innings of work. Based on these numbers, it looks like he could be due for some positive regression.
Houston is coming off an impressive three-game sweep against Seattle, where they scored a combined 14 runs and the pitching staff gave up just two runs. Although the offense has some room for improvement, they’re trending in the right direction.
Both teams’ bullpens are among the best in baseball, but Houston is playing a lot better baseball than Detroit. The Tigers have done a lot of traveling the last two weeks, and are coming off a doubleheader at home versus the Pirates before they flew to Texas. The Astros remain at home and they’re on a three-game winning streak. That’s why I like Houston on the run line.
Astros vs Tigers Prediction
Both teams’ bullpens are among the best in baseball, but Houston is playing a lot better baseball than Detroit. The Tigers have done a lot of traveling the last two weeks, and are coming off a doubleheader at home versus the Pirates before they flew to Texas.
The Astros remain at home and they’re on a three-game winning streak. That’s why I like Houston on the run line.
Prediction: Houston Astros -1.5 Run Line
Interested in placing a bet on Thursday’s Astros vs Tigers American League clash? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
First Pitch | MLB Betting Preview for May 5
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. Miles Mikolas goes up against Logan Webb as the Cardinals and Giants meet for a four game set. Can the Giants win tonight and stop their three game losing streak? Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s baseball games, including this Astros vs Tigers showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Brian Ochsner graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in Accounting and Agribusiness. He’s a life-long baseball fan and “numbers guy” who tolerates the Colorado Rockies (bad ownership), and is a Denver Broncos and Kansas State Wildcats fan. Along with his interest in the sports wagering industry, he enjoys eating good BBQ, reading books on marketing, finance and economics, and playing Texas Hold ‘Em poker.
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