Miguel Cabrera is on the disabled list and that is a big hit for the Detroit Tigers (41-40, -$197) who continue to stay afloat around .500.
They’ll look to make a run without their top player as they wrap up a three game set against the Seattle Mariners (38-44, -$1,131) on Wednesday.
ODDS ANALYSIS
This season has been quite the struggle for the Mariners who were a trendy pick to represent the American League in the World Series.
Seattle has found it particularly difficult to win at home. They are .500 on the road, but just 17-23 in Safeco Field. They are playing a bit better of late, winning four of six.
The Tigers’ season hasn’t been as good as they had hoped, either as they sit behind both Kansas City and Minnesota in the AL Central after dominating the AL Central division for years. On the road this year, they’re a solid 19-17 and are particularly successful during the day, going 22-13.
These two teams have yet to face each other this season, but Seattle took four of six against Detroit last season.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Anibal Sanchez had a rough start to his season. His ERA is still inflated at 4.65, but down from the 6.12 mark it was at as late as May 24.
In his last start, Sanchez was pegged for four runs in seven and a third innings, but the 31-year old right-hander flirted with a no-hitter into the eighth inning, before losing it and being betrayed by his bullpen, making his outing look worse than it was.
Over his last seven starts, Sanchez is 4-2 with a 2.94 ERA. Interestingly, on the year, despite the high ERA, his WHIP is just 1.157 as the long ball was his weakness early. He’s allowed 18 home runs in his 112 1/3 innings of work.
Sanchez’s counterpart with the Mariners on Wednesday has arguably been the team’s second most reliable arm: J.A. Happ.
Brought in to solidify the backend of the rotation, the veteran southpaw has been solid despite a 4-5 record, posting a 3.93 ERA and more impressive 3.40 FIP in his 91 2/3 innings. Over his last five starts, his ERA is 5.47. While Sanchez is improving, Happ is struggling.
QUOTE TO NOTE
In Sanchez’s last outing, he flirted with a no-no, but the team ultimately gave up six runs in a narrow 8-6 victory. While Sanchez tired at the end and allowed a couple runs, a few more inherited runners scored, plus some, after the bullpen came in.
Tigers’ manager Brad Ausmus praised Sanchez’s performance before noting the bullpen’s struggles, saying:
“We need to do a better job throwing strikes coming out of the bullpen. Bottom line, we gotta throw strikes. You got a lead like that, we have to attack hitters.”
The bullpen has long been an issue for the Tigers and that issue has once again reared its ugly head this season.
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Sanchez is pitching well, but Happ has the better ERA and the Mariners have the superior bullpen given the Tigers’ issues. Fortunately for Detroit, they hold the clear edge at the plate, even without Miguel Cabrera.
The loss of Cabrera is obviously huge as his .350 average and 1.034 OPS leads the league. With 15 home runs and 54 RBIs, the run production will be hard to replace, but the team still has their home run leader in J.D. Martinez (.903 OPS and 23 HRs) as well as several other quality hitters including: Yoenis Cespedes (.800 OPS) and Victor Martinez who is hitting .303 since his return with 11 RBIs in 15 games.
In addition to the boppers, the team has other ways to score, too, with a shortstop (Jose Iglesias) hitting .323 and Ian Kinsler getting on base at a .337 clip.
Overall, the Tigers rank eighth in baseball with 359 runs scored. The Mariners, by comparison rank second to last with 278. To make matters worse, those 278 were amassed over 82 games, averaging just 3.39 runs per game; the lowest number in baseball.
Brad Miller and Kyle Seager have had okay seasons with a .731 OPS and .743 OPS respectively, but the only real big bat the team has belongs to Nelson Cruz who was ice cold in June with just one home run and a .239 average, though July seems to have started a bit better for him.
Even if Cruz’s bat is coming back to life, the team still has too many holes to be counted on consistently. Robinson Cano (.652 OPS) is still slumping, Mike Zunino is hitting just .162 and Mark Trumbo has a miniscule .372 OPS since joining Seattle.
PROP TALK
Looking for a good prop bet on Wednesday? Look no further than Seth Smith. Behind Nelson Cruz, Smith possesses the Mariners’ best OPS at .786 and while Cruz is just now heating up after struggling through the entire month of June, Smith has been far more consistent of late.
In addition, Smith has hit six of his seven home runs against right-handed pitching and is 6 for 17 lifetime against Sanchez with a pair of home runs and a 1.186 OPS.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Losing Cabrera hurts, but the Tigers lineup should still be able to outscore the Mariners, it will now just come down to pitching.
The Tigers’ seem to have the disadvantage there, but Sanchez has been pitching some of his best ball of the year, while Happ has been throwing the ball poorly of late. The Tigers’ bullpen is a concern, but the offense should be able to give the team enough of a lead to close out the win.
Detroit 6, Seattle 3
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Detroit Tigers versus the Seattle Mariners will commence Wednesday July 8, 2015, at 3:40 p.m. ET at Safeco Field. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network..
