Webb Will Spin Tigers Into His Trap

Giants vs. Tigers, 6:40 ET

With it being a Tuesday, we have a pretty full schedule of baseball games but there are only a few that stand out to me. Before I get too deep into this game, I want to share one thought - the Rockies are a good bet today. I know how crazy that sounds, but I really have no idea how many times a team has been -300 or higher on the moneyline in the past few years and lost the game. The Cubs are -340 favorites today against the worst team in baseball, but I really don't think the Cubs have a great pitcher on the mound. It is hard to bet on the Rockies, but there is some value there. It will be much easier to get there between the Giants and Tigers. 

The Giants are playing surprisingly good baseball this season. San Francisco entered the year with expectations that they would be the fourth-best team in the division. I'm not overly confident that the team is going to end up any better than that, but right now they look pretty good at 31-23. They are just .500 on the road, but that is still better than you would expect, considering most teams are struggling significantly on the road. They aren't the best hitting team in the league, batting just .231 for the season, and scoring 4.4 runs per game. Their pitching has been even better, though. For the year, the team is throwing to a 3.25 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Logan Webb, the ace of the Giants staff, is taking the mound tonight. For the season, Webb is 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Webb has only one start this season where he allowed more than three earned runs in a game. He has three quality starts in his four May outings this season as well. Webb hasn't faced the Tigers much in his career, but has held them to just a .103 batting average in 29 at-bats. 

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty delivers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Comerica Park in Michigan. (David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports)

The Tigers are having one of the best seasons they've had in probably a decade. After making the postseason last year, they didn't do a ton of changes to the roster. Maybe that's all they needed. The addition of Gleyber Torres has certainly helped, and the fact that Javier Baez is now actually hitting the ball is making a difference. Overall, the club is hitting .253 which is good for tenth in the league. They do have the fourth-most runs scored in the league, though, which is more surprising than anything. The pitching was always going to be a strength of this team, and they are throwing to a 3.27 ERA for the season. Tonight they send out Jack Flaherty to the hill. Flaherty is just 2-6 with a 4.39 ERA, but he does carry a 1.18 WHIP. He has been better at home, though with a 3.71 ERA compared to a 5.06 road ERA. This has been his worst month of the season with Flaherty allowing 14 earned runs in 21 innings over four starts. Giants hitters have only faced Flaherty 32 times, and are batting .250 against him. 

I think this is probably the best pitching matchup of the day. I should let you know that Logan Webb is not a guy that I've done well with or against over the years. But, I am going to back the Giants in this game. Flaherty is not in great form at the moment, and I don't have the Tigers that much higher than the Giants in my power rankings, so I'll back Webb and the Giants tonight.

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