American League action on Thursday night features the Tigers and the Rays in Detroit. Something has to give tonight as both teams come into this game on winning streaks. Tampa Bay has won five in a row and Detroit has won three straight. Tampa Bay swept the Yankees this week and Detroit swept the Athletics, the best team in the American League. Detroit is at the top of the AL Central, 4.5 games ahead of the Royals, which is why we like them to continue their winning streak tonight at home.
Max Scherzer, who won the Cy Young for the American League in 2013, will take the hill tonight against Tampa Bay. He is 9-3 with an ERA of 3.64 this season. Scherzer struggled in his last home start, a 10-run outing against Kansas City that lasted just four innings. Since that game, Scherzer has allowed just three runs in 13 innings pitched. He has recorded 21 strikeouts during that span, returning to his Cy Young form.
Tampa Bay will hand the ball to veteran lefty Erik Bedard on Thursday night in an effort to win a six straight game for the first time this season. Despite their recent hot streak, the Rays are still 9.5 games out of first place in the AL East and do not seem to be a playoff contender, even though it is still early in July. Bedard won his latest start, against Baltimore, after pitching seven-plus innings.
We love American League baseball, which is why we are betting on the Tigers and the Rays Thursday night. Our bets will be placed at TopBet.eu, where the Tigers are home chalk. We will drop 20 percent of our bankroll on Detroit and the -180 money line as they take the opener from the Rays.
