Even Money Play For Game 1 Between Pirates And Tigers

Pirates vs. Tigers, Game 1, 12:40 ET

I have a sports bucket list. It is kind of stupid, but there are a number of things I want to see or attend before I die. One of them happens to be a doubleheader. There are other things, like seeing an NBA Finals game, sitting courtside at an NBA game - specifically next to the bench, and seeing every baseball stadium. It is expensive, and there are a lot of things on the list, but attending a doubleheader seems like something that would be really fun to do and I haven't done it. What I have done is bet on doubleheaders. That's a lot of fun too, and I plan to do it again here as I bet on the first game of a doubleheader between the Pirates and the Tigers. 

I kind of wish the Pirates would've rearranged the pitching rotation for this game. I would've been fine with the Tigers as well, but I really would've liked for the matchup to be Paul Skenes against Tarik Skubal. That isn't the case as Skenes is taking the hill in the second game of the doubleheader. Today will close out the season series between the two teams as they have a total of four games between each other, right now they are tied 1-1. The Pirates are playing pretty solid baseball this season. For the season, they are just 25-29, but they are remaining competitive and looking to stay relevant now while building for their future. I'm interested to see what they do around the trade deadline. If they trade away anyone with control for more than a year, I think that indicates the team doesn't think next year is the year they expect to push for the playoffs. If they add to the team, maybe they think they can make the playoffs this year. The team is hitting .228 for the season which is rather low, but still higher than a couple of the other NL Central foes. The Pirates rank 23rd in runs scored as well, but are slightly behind the Tigers for the year. In this game, they are putting out Jared Jones to face the Tigers. Jones has quietly put together a nice campaign with a 3.05 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He also ranks in the top 20 for strikeouts thrown this year. This month he has gone at least six innings in every start and allowed three or fewer in each. In fact, he hasn't allowed more than three earned run in any start. The Pirates are just 4-6 in his 10 starts despite Jones's performance. The Tigers have never faced Jones. 

May 22, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (37) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit entered this season looking like they were going to dominate the AL Central. On May 1st, they were able to win a game and run their record to 18-13 for the year. Since that point, they are just 8-14. They've had two losing streaks of at least four games this month, but have won their past three games, so maybe they can close out this month strong. Still, they've lost a lot of ground to the Guardians, Twins, and Royals in this stretch. The Tigers offense isn't anything special, and really hasn't been for a few years now. They are only hitting .236 for the season and have scored just 225 runs for the year. They rank 20th in the league for both Slugging and On Base Percentage. What was keeping them going was the pitching staff, but that has slowed down quite a bit. The team ERA is now 3.77 even though their WHIP is 1.20 and opponents are hitting .237 against them. They get their Ace to take the hill in this one though as Skubal is going to the mound. He has been outstanding with a 6-1 record, sporting a 2.25 ERA (good for 8th in the league), and bringing in a 0.85 WHIP (3rd best in the Majors) to this game. Skubal is getting people out in a variety of ways, and ranks 13th in strikeouts for the year. He is coming off of his worst start of the season as he allowed four earned runs over five innings. Pirates hitters have had some success against him, going 11-for-39 in their experience. 

This game features two really good starting pitchers. I also think this might be the first game I've seen this season where the total is under 7.5. Right now the books have a total of 6.5. I still think it is a bit too high. I am expecting this game is going to see both starters cover seven innings and the offenses to look terrible. I'd probably lean toward the full game going under 6.5. Jones has been good, but he still is allowing runs. When Skubal is at his best, he doesn't allow runs. Back the Tigers to cover the run through five innings at even money. I'd be surprised if they don't win the full game more by two or more runs

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