The Detroit Tigers have fallen to 48-52, and Dave Dombrowski has to be considered them to be sellers instead of buyers now at the trading deadline.
Meanwhile, they're about to run into a road series with the Baltimore Orioles beginning on Thursday, a team which has won four games in a row to get to 50-49.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Alfredo Simon has been an awful pitcher of late for the Tigers, and we wonder whether he is going to get blasted by the team who he came up with in this one.
Simon might be 9-6 this year, and his 4.46 ERA might reek of respectability, but in the last month, he has been pathetic. The righty has an 8.57 ERA since June 20, and that's after allowing just one run against the hapless Red Sox in his last start over six innings of work.
We grant you the fact that Simon has to get luckier eventually. The man has a .436 BABIP against and an LOB percentage of just 61.5 percent, numbers which absolutely cannot continue. In fact, his 4.17 FIP in the last 30 days is better than both that of Anibal Sanchez at 4.39 and Justin Verlander at 4.48, both of which have had better results.
For the most part, Miguel Gonzalez is great to back in live betting in the early innings. He hasn't allowed more than two runs over the course of the first five innings of a game in his last four outings, and the only time he has allowed more than two runs in the first half of a game since May 24 came on June 30 against Texas.
On one glance, Gonzalez's 9-6 record and 3.99 ERA are comparable to what you see out of Simon, but it is clear from where we are sitting that one of these men you can trust, and one of these men you just seem to be waiting for the god awful inning which is destined to come.
ADVANCED STATS
As a team this year, the Tigers have been awful in high leverage situations late in games. From the seventh inning on in games decided by three runs or fewer, Detroit has posted just a .239 team batting average. Take Miguel Cabrera, a man who is still on the DL, out of the mix, and that average drops to just .227 as a team.
Though the Tigers have good metrics when you look at batting with men in scoring position or in normal situations, there's something about hitting late in games which is getting to this unit this year. That's why Detroit is down 7.57 units this year for bettors, and it's why the team is pretty much done chasing a postseason spot with 62 games left in the campaign.
TALKING BULLPENS
If the Tigers do end up deciding that they are dealing at the deadline, don't be surprised if Joakim Soria is on the move. If that turns out to be the case, this bullpen will officially be nothing but a disaster for the Tigers.
There isn't another active member of this roster who has logged a save, and Soria had the third best ERA in the pen behind just the unproven Alex Wilson and Blaine Hardy. Even if Soria is closing, his 22-of-25 save percentage isn't anything to write home about. Backing the O's in live betting if they are trailing in the late innings might not be a bad idea.
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at 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!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers is scheduled for Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 7:10 p.m. ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. The contest will be televised live on the MLB Network.
