The Detroit Tigers (28-26 SU, -1.20 Units) have scored two runs or fewer in 48 percent of their games this season.
They're really in need of some run production on Saturday, even with arguably their best pitcher on the mound, when they take on the Chicago White Sox (24-27 SU, -4.09 Units).
PITCHING MATCHUP
There's nothing wrong with David Price right now. He has been blessed with a couple extra days off in this one, which is great considering the fact that he threw 121 pitches in his last start against the Angels on May 31.
We're a tad concerned with Price's accuracy right now, as he issued four walks to the Halos. We'll attribute that to a tired arm at one glance, but if the lefty can't keep the ball in the strike zone at least 65 percent of the time in this game, we would be fading away in live betting in a heartbeat.
To say that John Danks is due for some regression heading into Saturday is an understatement. He allowed 10 hits in his last start against the Astros, but he filled the scoreboard with nine straight bagels in spite of the fact that five of those 10 hits went for extra bases.
Danks has been terrible, but this is a terrible lineup he is going against. If the impatient Astros couldn't string runs together, live bettors should wonder aloud if the Tigers are going to do the same thing against Danks.
ADVANCED STATS
Miguel Cabrera is clearly doing his job this year. He's batting .335 with an OPS of 1.015, and he has jacked 11 homers. The only reason that Detroit actually ranks even No. 19 in run production this year at 4.04 runs per game is because of its superstar.
However, if you take Cabrera out of the lineup, you've got a team which has been brutal since Victor Martinez got hurt a few weeks ago.
If not for Miggy, the Tigers would be slugging .322 as a team over the course of their last 30 days, which would easily be the worst mark in baseball. They would have just 13 homers as a team in that stretch, and they would have an ISO of just .111.
Herein lies the problem for Detroit. Theoretically, this team should be getting luckier, but it should be getting healthier as well. Martinez isn't walking through those clubhouse doors on Saturday to suit up in this game, and that will put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Cabrera once again.
In innings in which Cabrera isn't due up, you'll have a great opportunity for a zero to be thrown on the board, whether it be by Danks or by any of the members of the Chicago bullpen.
TALKING BULLPENS
The White Sox have taken a bad rap this season for their bullpen. David Robertson has been good, yet not spectacular, and there are clearly some missing pieces to the puzzle which need to be glued together.
Still, a 4.20 ERA, even though it is just No. 26 in baseball, isn't as bad as you might think. The Chicago bullpen has been viciously unlucky of late, allowing home runs on over 23 percent of its fly balls conceded over the course of the last two weeks. The team does a great job for the most part of keeping the ball on the ground, and the bullpen has a solid 132 strikeouts against 57 walks, one of the best K/BB ratios in the majors.
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