Rangers @ Tigers Preview

The Detroit Tigers will need to recuperate in order to finish up the first-half of baseball on a good note.  The Texas Rangers blew past the Tigers yesterday, 7-1, in a game that saw Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer’s 2013 undefeated streak get shattered by an overwhelming Rangers offense.

The Rangers also broke a three-game losing-streak with their big win and tied up a three-game series that they would like to win in order to go into the All-Star break on a positive note.  In order to do that, though, they will now have to make it past one of the MLB’s premiere pitchers in Justin Verlander.

Verlander has not been the same ace he was last season.  In his last outing he allowed five runs on 12 hits in over seven innings in a loss to the Chicago White Sox.  However, Verlander is still a huge threat to the Rangers.  The right-hander is 7-3 with a 2.92 ERA when playing against the Rangers.   He has struck out an average of 9.36 batter per nine inning when pitching against Texas.
Overall, Verlander has shown that he can still pitch like an ace, and he will need to return to form if the Tigers want to take this series.

The Rangers will be starting Martin Perez.  Perez has been pitching with solid skill since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock.  He is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in his last four starts.  In his last outing against the mighty Baltimore Orioles he allowed only four runs with only half of those earned in over six innings.

Perez will now have to contain the Tigers offense, with the likes of Miguel Cabrera.  Cabrera has 95 RBIs and wants to hit 100 before the All-Star Break.  He is now the first player in MLB history to have 30 home runs and 90 RBIs by the break.

The moneyline favors the Tigers who have a -177 moneyline.  The Rangers moneyline is set at +162.  The game starts at 1:08 p.m. ET.