Tigers vs. Athletics: Odds, predictions and best bets 9/21/2023

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The Detroit Tigers continue the final west coast swing of the season on Thursday by opening a four-game series against the A’s in Oakland. Detroit salvaged one win last night by defeating the Dodgers. Now, from that vaunted opponent, the Tigers pivot to face the worst team in Major League Baseball.

The Tigers game doesn’t start until nearly 10 p.m. ET, which gives baseball fans in Michigan lots of time today to plan their betting strategy. Or download and register a new sports betting app, like Caesars Sportsbook. New users of the Caesars betting app, which is available now in Michigan for iPhone and Android users, will get a $1,000 first bet promo. How the promo works: if your first wager loses, you get that amount back up to $1,000 in bonus bets. We have also compiled a list of the best sportsbook promos, so you can score more across different platforms.

If you’re going to bet on a Tigers game this weekend, this is probably the one you want: Tarik Skubal takes the hill for Detroit. The lean lefthander is riding a three-game winning streak.

Game details:

  • Who: Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland A’s
  • When: Thursday, September 21
  • Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
  • Where: Oakland Coliseum (Oakland, CA)

MLB odds:

Odds are from Caesars Sportsbook, one of the most popular and dependable sports betting sites for Michigan sports fans. What do you get with Caesars? Competitive odds, live betting, and parlay bets for MLB, NFL, college football, and much more.

Tarik Skubal (6-3, 3.25 ERA, 84 K in 69.1 IP) vs. Luis Medina (3-9, 5.56 ERA, 97 K in 98.2 IP)

The Tigers are witnessing Skubal emerge into a full-fledged potential ace. The southpaw has won each of his last three starts, and he was so dominant last week against the Angels that he drew high praise from his manager.

“He wants to go as deep as he can,” Detroit skipper A.J. Hinch said after Skubal allowed three hits in seven frames against the Angels last Friday in Detroit. “He has a full array of pitches. And he’s elite. And I think as he’s starting to grow into that type of responsibility, he’s taking it seriously.”

The Skubal Effect, if you will, is that on the nights he pitches, the bullpen gets a much-needed rest. As a result, the lefty is likely to get over the strikeout totals you can get odds for from sportsbooks. For Thursday we expect Skubal to go over eight K’s (he’s recorded nine in three of his last four starts). More on that below in our daily parlay.

You may call this season, “The Year of the Rookie Pitcher,” given the number of first-year starters in the league. Medina is a skinny right-hander who hasn’t yet secured a solid spot in the Oakland rotation. He’s made 15 starts but pitched out of the bullpen five days ago. That’s because Medina has lost his way on the strike zone. In his last three outings, Medina has walked 10 batters in 12.2 innings. Detroit may not get more than twice around the lineup against rookie Medina, but that might be more than enough to put up crooked numbers. It’s part of the reason oddsmakers have the A’s as underdogs at home vs. the Tigers.

  • The A’s have lost seven consecutive games.
  • The OVER has hit in each of Luis Medina’s last four starts.
  • Detroit is 77-72 Against The Spread (ATS) this season.
  • The UNDER has hit in 13 of Detroit’s last 22 games.
  • The Tigers have won 5 of its last 7 games straight-up.
  • The OVER hit in two of the three previous games played this season between DET and OAK.

Tigers: Win by exactly 2 runs (+625, Caesars Sportsbook)

Detroit lost two of three games earlier this season against Oakland. But, the Tigers were a different team back then, and the lineup has been producing much more consistently since mid-August. This wager, a specific win margin on the final score, will pay $625 on a $100 bet on Detroit.

Here’s a simple two-leg parlay: Tigers win by at least two runs, and the overall score goes over 7.5 runs. The odds here are from FanDuel Sportsbook and priced at +205. That means your winning same-game parlay wager of $100 would win $305, including your stake. New MLive users who sign up on FanDuel can also take part in their bet $5, get $200 in bonus bets offer.

  • Tigers: -1.5 on runline
  • Over 7.5 runs total

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