It looks as if the Baltimore Orioles are lining up for a second half surge after winning five straight games. They face a Tigers team going the other direction after dropping 11 of 15, potentially leaving the four-time defending AL Central champions as sellers at the trade deadline.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Orioles wiped out a four-game losing streak by winning four straight following Tuesday’s 7-3 drubbing of the Braves. They’ll need to string more wins together if they want to make a move in the AL East, where they trail New York by seven games. The O’s are in the hunt for the second wild card spot, though, just two games behind Minnesota. Baltimore can possibly make up some ground playing a struggling Tigers squad at Camden Yards, where the O’s have an impressive 31-19 record and are up 9.15 units on the moneyline. Things have gotten so bad for Detroit even ace David Price couldn’t rescue them from a third straight defeat. The Tigers lost 10-2 at Tampa Bay on Tuesday and surrendered 26 runs in those games. The over is 2-0-1 in that span and Detroit’s played a MLB-high 56 games above the scoreline.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Alfredo Simón (9-6, 4.46 ERA) left his last start Saturday at Boston with a groin strain after hurling six innings of one-run ball in Detroit’s 5-1 win, but he is expected to make his scheduled start. Simón was sharp against a struggling Red Sox offense, surrendering five hits with four strikeouts. It was the best outing in nearly two months for a pitcher who’s been wildly inconsistent this season.
Simón has never faced the Orioles, the team that called him up for his Major League debut back in 2009.
Miguel Gonzalez (9-6, 3.99 ERA) tossed a strong game in Saturday’s win at Tampa Bay, allowing just one run over 7.2 innings. He fanned five without issuing a walk and pitched past the sixth inning for the first time in his last seven starts. He’s been roughed up in his last two home starts surrendering 17 hits and three home runs over 9.1 innings with an 11.58 ERA.
Gonzalez picked up his first career win against Detroit on July 19 giving up six hits and two runs in five innings of a 9-3 game. He hasn’t been good when facing the Tigers sporting a 7.36 ERA and .330 opponent’s batting average with six homers allowed in 22 lifetime innings.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“There’s been stretches where I’ve failed to understand why we’re not scoring runs. We’ve had stretches like this earlier but we need to get out of it. I wish there was a magical potion, but there’s not. Pitch better, hit better.” – Tigers manager Brad Ausmus Tuesday after being held to two or fewer runs for the fifth time in six games.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter has been toying with the idea of having catcher Matt Wieters play first base, which would give the team a way to keep his bat in the lineup more regularly. It also gives the O’s another option at that position with Chris Davis now playing right field, Steve Pearce on the disabled list and Chris Parmalee scuffling offensively. Wieters has caught on back-to-back days just one since returning from Tommy John surgery in June and a move to first would limit the stressful throws. Wieters has taken part in pregame drills at first base for a week and we could see him there soon. He has played first base twice at the major league level, drawing one start there in 2011. Wieters is hitting .250 this season, which is higher than backup catcher Caleb Joseph, Pearce and Parmalee and he averaged 22 home runs from 2011 to 2013 before undergoing surgery on his elbow.
PROP TALK
Chris Davis is heating up at the plate and that could give the O’s a big lift in the season’s final two months. Davis blasted two home runs and tied a career-high with five RBIs in Tuesday’s win over Atlanta, continuing a recent power surge in which he’s hit five home runs in seven games while driving in 12. He now has 24 homers and 65 RBIs with a .243/.325/.497 line. Davis has two hits, including a home run, in two at-bats in his career against Simón, but hasn’t faced him since his days as a member of the Texas Rangers.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Orioles had a stretch of 16 wins in 20 games just over a month ago and it looks like they might be primed for another run. The pitching staff has been lights out and Chris Davis can carry the team when he gets hot. Detroit, meanwhile, has all sorts of problems, especially in the bullpen, and it’s unlikely Alfredo Simón goes deep – he’s not facing the Red Sox again. The Tigers have stumbled offensively, scoring 13 runs in six games, and were held to seven by a pitiful Boston staff while losing two of three at Fenway Park.
Baltimore 6, Detroit 4
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