deGrom Can Tame Tigers

Rangers vs. Tigers, 6:10 ET

From, let's say, April, until August, Saturday's aren't exactly dominated by sports. Sure, there are still sports on, but it isn't the "glued to your seat" style of college football and college basketball. I've said that baseball isn't really the sport that you want to watch a game between any two teams. Usually, you want a rooting interest for a team, or at least a good pitching matchup. We got a great pitching matchup specifically in this game between the Rangers and the Tigers. 

The Rangers are climbing and fighting to find a way above .500. The team hasn't really been the same since winning the World Series two seasons ago. That year they were great on offense. Their pitching wasn't amazing, but it was good enough. This year the Rangers offense is struggling quite a bit, hitting just .232 and they've only scored about three runs per game. It seems like they don't score unless they hit home runs. As of Friday, they had 123 runs and 33 homers. Those aren't all solo shots, so my estimate is that about 50% of their scoring comes from the longball. I guess that's normal for teams, but they just aren't scoring enough in general. It might not matter today with Jacob deGrom on the mound. deGrom has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for years, but injuries have derailed him. For the season, he is 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has only allowed 11 earned runs this season, and seven of them have come in two starts. The Tigers are just 5-for-30 against deGrom with Javy Baez going just 3-for-17 with 10 strikeouts.

Apr 14, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) throws during the game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers are above .500 and they are looking like everything this season will click for them. They have played extraordinarily well at home this year, and their pitching and offense are both doing well. The offense was an area of concern for the Tigers last year as they really didn't have much luck producing runs. This season, they are hitting .262 and have already scored over 200 runs. Their pitching staff has done really well this year, just like last season. This year, the team is throwing to a 2.95 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Jack Flaherty is taking the ball to battle against deGrom. Flaherty is 1-4 for the year with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Over the past two starts, Flaherty has allowed four earned in both of them over 10.2 innings. He has only completed six innings once. In the last five starts, the Tigers are have provided him with three or fewer runs, so run support hasn't been there either. Rangers hitters haven't done very well against Flaherty, hitting .169 against him. 

This should be a great pitching matchup between these two. The Tigers are really good on offense, but deGrom is better and can keep even the best offenses at bay. Flaherty is good, but he isn't quite consistent enough. I think this game goes under the total, but I do think the better bet is to back the Rangers and deGrom at a discount. 

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