If your favorite baseball team isn't playing tonight, make the games more interesting by betting on MLB odds at BookMaker Sportsbook! This is the only online wagering outlet that offers early MLB moneylines, runlines and totals. First pitch for the game between the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers is scheduled for Sunday, May 21, 2017, at 8:05 p.m. ET at Comerica Park. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
We’re finally starting to see the Texas Rangers play the type of baseball we expected and that could make this primetime Sunday Night game a fun one to watch, particularly for those tired of seeing a parade of Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs games getting this timeslot and national coverage. Miguel Cabrera’s availability for the Detroit Tigers will play a huge role in the excitement factor. He’s not off to a great start, but he’s still one of the better right-handed hitters in the history of the game.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
This is a different Texas team the last few weeks compared to the one that struggled through the month of April.
The Rangers rank No. 8 in baseball in runs scored and fifth in the AL with 80 runs in May.
Mike Napoli’s bat is finally starting to heat up and Nomar Mazara is getting hot again as well. Joey Gallo remains a home run threat—and an easy strikeout if you make your pitches—while Shin-Soo Choo and Delino DeShields Jr. are getting on base to set the table.
The Tigers, on the flip side, have seen a mediocre offense in May. They did a good job coming back against the Orioles in their three-game set and took two of three on the strength of their bats as much as anything.
Tyler Collins broke a huge 0-for slump a couple nights ago and J.D. Martinez came off the DL slugging away. Miguel Cabrera’s injury is an issue to watch.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Based solely on the starting pitchers, the Rangers should have this one in the bag. Texas will be sending Yu Darvish to the bump opposite of Matt Boyd.
Darvish is back to his Cy Young contender form. The 30-year old right-hander has made nine starts and is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA in his 58.2 innings of work. He’s got a 1.091 WHIP and is striking out more than a batter per inning.
The righty from Japan has hurled five straight quality starts and six of his nine starts this year have been at least six innings with two runs or fewer surrendered. The Rangers have won five straight Darvish starts and are 6-3 when he toes the rubber this year.
By comparison, the team is 15-17 when anyone else pitches. For his career, Darvish is 6-0 in six starts against the Tigers and has given up just three runs in 13.1 innings in Comerica Park.
So, in conclusion, Darvish is pretty good. But, what about Boyd?
The young southpaw has a 5.55 career ERA in 41 career games, 38 of them starts. Those numbers are a bit inflated from his struggles in 2015 and he pitched to a mid-4 ERA last year, serving as a respectable back of the rotation option.
This year, he and Jordan Zimmermann are the weak links in this rotation. He’s 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.608 WHIP. Surprisingly, despite the WHIP, his FIP indicates he’s been a bit unlucky. Boyd’s walk rate is high and strike out rate is low which hurts, but he’s giving up a ton of hits as batters have a higher than normal BABIP against him. Despite that, he’s done a respectable job keeping the ball in the park.
Boyd can matchup with other back-end starters, but the Tigers are very short handed compared to the Rangers with Texas’s ace against Detroit’s No. 5.
LIVE BETTING
Both the Rangers and the Tigers have had more than their share of adventures in the late innings due to unpredictable bullpens.
Each team has already replaced their closers as both Sam Dyson and Francisco Rodriguez are out—at least for the moment—giving chances to Matt Bush and Justin Wilson, neither considered even options a year ago.
For the Tigers, Wilson has had a nice bounce back season. He was good for the Yankees in 2015, but didn’t repeat in his first season in Detroit. Instead, K-Rod was the lone dependable arm once the starter departed. Bush, meanwhile, is back after being a highly touted prospect back in the day with a prison stint in his past.
The ninth may be a bit more certain now for both teams, but getting there can still be a bit of question. The Rangers’ have a few more options, but late game comebacks are certainly a possibility for both teams.
QUICK PICK
Look for the Rangers to grab this series finale and likely rubber game on Sunday night. Sure, the Tigers are at home, but Texas is playing great ball right now. They’ve managed to get themselves back over .500 and are a bit deeper and more certain in the pen right now.
The Rangers also should get more from their starter which will set up their pen to close the game out rather than holding pat while they count on the offense to get them back in the game.
Darvish is a beast again. Look for him to go seven, hand the ball over to a pen that can use Jeremy Jeffress, Alex Claudio and others to bridge three outs to Matt Bush in the back end.
MLB Odds: Rangers 6, Tigers 3
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