Oakland Athletics VS Detroit Tigers Betting Pick & Preview – 4/5/2024

Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers Overview

• Date: April 5, 2024
• Venue: Comerica Park
• Starting Pitchers:
  • JP Sears - Athletics
  • Tarik Skubal - Tigers
• Umpire: Tripp Gibson
• Run Line: Athletics +1.5 (-105), Tigers -1.5 (-115)
• Money Line: Athletics +200, Tigers -245
• Total (Over/Under): 7.5

Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers Win Probabilities

Implied Win %:

• Oakland Athletics - 33.33%
• Detroit Tigers - 71.01%

Projected Win %:

• Oakland Athletics - 31.62%
• Detroit Tigers - 68.38%

Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers Game Preview & Prediction

In an American League matchup scheduled for April 5, 2024, the Detroit Tigers will host the Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park. The Tigers, with a strong record of 5-1 this season, are having a great start to their campaign. On the other hand, the Athletics are struggling with a record of 1-6, making it a tough season for them so far.

The Tigers are projected to start left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal, who has been performing exceptionally well. According to our advanced-stat Power Rankings, Skubal is ranked as the #4 best starting pitcher in MLB out of approximately 350 pitchers. This elite ranking indicates his exceptional talent and potential impact on the game. Skubal is expected to pitch around 5.9 innings, allowing only 1.6 earned runs on average. He is also projected to strike out 7.8 batters but may struggle with allowing 4.0 hits and 1.6 walks on average.

On the other side, the Athletics are projected to start left-handed pitcher JP Sears, who has been struggling this season. Sears is considered one of the worst pitchers in MLB according to our advanced-stat Power Rankings. He is expected to pitch around 5.7 innings, allowing 2.7 earned runs on average. However, Sears may struggle with his strikeout rate, projected at 4.9 batters per game. He is also expected to allow 5.0 hits and 1.8 walks on average.

Looking at the offensive rankings, the Tigers currently rank as the #18 best offense in MLB. However, their team batting average (#27), home runs (#27), and stolen bases (#28) rankings indicate room for improvement. On the other hand, the Athletics rank as the #22 best offense in MLB, with a team batting average ranking of #30, indicating their struggles in hitting. However, they excel in stolen bases, ranking #5 in the league.

In terms of bullpen strength, the Tigers rank as the #14 best bullpen in MLB, while the Athletics rank as the #25 best. This suggests that the Tigers may have a slight advantage in the later innings of the game.

Considering the projections and overall team performance, the Tigers are favored to win this game. However, anything can happen in baseball, and it will be an exciting matchup to watch.

Quick Takes Oakland Athletics:

The Oakland Athletics outfield defense grades out as the 5th-worst among every team playing today.

• Defense is an integral part of preventing (or, in this case, allowing) hits and runs.

J.J. Bleday's batting average ability is projected to be in the 15th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

• THE BAT X is a highly sophisticated projection system that accounts for a multitude of factors and regularly tests among the most accurate systems available. Batting average is the most common measure of a player's ability to generate hits.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Oakland Athletics' bullpen projects as the 6th-worst among all the teams in the majors.

• Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game's runs.

Quick Takes Detroit Tigers:

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) forecasts that Tarik Skubal will record an average of 7.7 strikeouts today.

• THE BAT X is a highly sophisticated projection system that accounts for a multitude of factors like ballpark, weather, umpire, and more.

Batting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Gio Urshela will have the upper hand in today's game.

• Right-handed hitters perform better against left-handed pitchers (and visa-versa). This can have a huge impact on whether a hitter will perform well or struggle on any given day.

Andy Ibanez hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (41.3% — 100th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 2nd-deepest CF fences today.

• This player's skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he's in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Game Trends

• The Detroit Tigers have hit the Moneyline in 73 of their last 148 games (+11.30 Units / 7% ROI)
• The Oakland Athletics have hit the Team Total Under in 71 of their last 124 games (+11.28 Units / 8% ROI)
• JJ Bleday has hit the Singles Over in 5 of his last 7 games (+5.45 Units / 78% ROI)

Final Score Prediction: Oakland Athletics 2.96 vs Detroit Tigers 4.2

For more on today's game check out the comprehensive statistics, betting odds, and trends below. Be sure to check out all our free MLB picks here.