MLB Betting – Tigers in Desperate Need of Win at Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers are both trailing in their respective races with a chance to make a run at division crowns, but the MLB betting fans following both teams know that the Tigers are in a much, much worse spot.

The Tigers have gone from MLB betting favorites in many games to an easy underdog and tonight’s game against the Rays is no different.

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Can the Tigers halt their skid tonight with a win over Tampa Bay on the road or will they fall further away from the White Sox in the AL Central?

Detroit Tigers (Eddie Bonine, R) at

Tampa Bay Rays (Jeff Niemann, R)

7:10 pm ET, Tropicana Field

MLB betting line: Rays favored at -1 ½

With Carlos Guillen, Brandon Inge, and Magglio Ordonez out, the Tigers are missing three former All-Star position players and now their lineup looks like a glorified Triple A roster.

While the Rays are not a great hitting team in their own right, batting 22nd in the league in terms of average, they are still a much more well rounded hitting team.

Throw in their pitching, which is 2nd in MLB in terms of WHIP, one of the stat geeks’ numbers of choice, and it’s easy to see why Tampa has a real shot to sweep the Tigers in this series after no-hitting them in the first game and beating them last night in a close one.

Niemann has been on a roll of late and has an 8-3 record on the year as the massive righty has come from left field (figuratively, not literally) to round out an outstanding pitching staff.

While Eddie Bonine is solid out of the pen for the Tigers with a 4-0 record, he is much worse as a starter in his career and will be in over his head tonight with the pressure on for Detroit.

With Detroit’s hitting as bad as it is right now it’s tough to pick them until they make a trade or get one of their supplementary bats for Miguel Cabrera back.

MLB betting pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-1 ½).