by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Jul 31, 2021
Game time: 1:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Where to watch: MASN 2, Bally Sports Detroit
Season-to-date
Orioles: 36-66 (Last place, AL East
Tigers: 50-56 (3rd place, AL Central)
Recent lineups
Orioles:
Cedric Mullins (L) CF
Austin Hays (R) LF
Trey Mancini (R) DH
Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
Anthony Santander (S) RF
Ramon Urias (R) SS
Pedro Severino (R) C
Maikel Franco (R) 3B
Pat Valaika (R) 2B
Tigers:
Akil Baddoo (L) LF
Jonathan Schoop (R) 1B
Robbie Grossman (S) RF
Miguel Cabrera (R) DH
Jeimer Candelario (S) 3B
Eric Haase (R) C
Harold Castro (L) SS
Willi Castro (S) 2B
Derek Hill (R) CF
Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Tigers -160, Orioles +140; O/U 9.5
Recent form
Orioles: 6-4 in last 10
Tigers: 5-5 in last 10
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Tigers - Orioles preview
Two American League bottomfeeders will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday with the Baltimore Orioles facing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
That term might not be fair to the Tigers, who have won 50 games and aren’t quite out of the playoff race. But as we say goodbye to July, it’s the Chicago White Sox taking hold of the AL Central and the Tigers playing for pride.
The Orioles are attempting to play for pride, and their post-deadline run began with a 4-3 win at Detroit on Friday. Matt Harvey (remember him?) threw 6.1 scoreless IP to get Baltimore just over the finish line.
“I’m not trying to pitch the way I used to, which was mostly fastballs and sliders," Harvey said. "Pitching backwards, just trusting my stuff and trying to mix things up. Being unpredictable. When I was throwing 97-100 mph with a 92-93 mph slider, things were a little easier.”
The Tigers scored three runs in the eighth but couldn’t do enough despite the strong effort from Detroit’s bullpen. Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal allowed all four runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Miguel Cabrera turned back the clock going 2-for-3 with an RBI on Friday. For one day, his .251 batting average didn’t seem like a bad thing. Cabrera nearly brought the house down with a potential winning grand slam before it was tracked down at the warning track.
The future hall-of-famer is three home runs from 500 in his career.
“I come from Maracay, in a little neighborhood. I never think it's going to happen to me. It's really special,” Cabrera said. “I have to say thank you to the team, thank you to the city for giving me this opportunity to be here. It's exciting.”
At time of publishing, the teams have not played their Saturday game as of yet, so a lot can change leading up to Sunday’s matchup. Spenser Watkins will take the mound for Baltimore on Sunday, and Tyler Alexander for Detroit. The Tigers enter Saturday having won 10 of their past 11 at home.
Trends
The under has cashed in five of the last six Orioles games when they’re an underdog. When the total is between 9.0 and 10.5, the under has cashed four straight heading into Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have won five straight against AL East opponents. But Detroit is also 9-7 this season when the money line is between -100 and -150.
Prediction
If Friday was any indication, this will be low-scoring. I’d expect the Tigers to respond and take a game in this series in some fashion. Tigers 4-2, and the under.
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
