close
close

Astros vs Tigers Prediction and Picks for May 11, 2024

Theo

Free MLB Daily Lock Picks, Saturday, May 11: Cleveland vs. Chicago White Sox, 7:10 p.m. ET

CLICK TO VIEW CHOOSE NOW

We have a loaded baseball slate on Saturday, and one of the under-the-radar matchups takes place in the American League as the Houston Astros face the Detroit Tigers. Cristian Javier gets the nod for the Astros, while the Tigers counter with Tarik Skubal. The first launch is scheduled for 6:10 a.m. ET from Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.

Astros earn second straight victory

After losing four straight games, the Astros have now won two straight games. The first win came against the Yankees (4-3) in a series finale, and they picked up a victory against the Tigers (5-2) in Friday night’s opener. However, the Stros are still just 14-24, 7.5 games off the Rangers’ first-place pace in the AL West. Currently, Houston is priced at +425 to win the division, falling below Texas (+110) and Seattle (+140).

Houston didn’t score until the 6th inning in Friday night’s win, where they then rattled off five straight runs to win 5-2. Kyle Tucker launched a solo home run to get the party started in the 6th. Framber Valdez earned the win after pitching 7.0 innings, allowing just two earned runs. Josh Hader made his fifth save of the season in the game-winning effort.

Cristian Javier heads to the bump Saturday night, and the 27-year-old will make his first start since returning from the 15-day IL (neck discomfort). This will be his fifth start of the year, and the right-hander comes in at 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Javier hasn’t pitched since April 14, when he held the Rangers to just two earned runs on five hits and two walks in 7.0 innings. He won 8-5.

Tigers Drop Series Opener

Friday night’s loss improved the Tigers to 19-19 on the year, putting them 5.0 games out of first place in the AL Central. Bettors aren’t too high on Detroit making a lot of noise this year, as they are priced at +240 to make the playoffs (-295 to miss).

Looking back at Friday night’s loss, this time from Detroit’s perspective, the only runs came in the 3rd inning on a two-RBI double from Matt Vierling. Andrew Chafin was saddled with the loss after allowing three earned runs in relief, with the pitcher failing to record a single out.

Tarik Skubal will be in charge on Saturday, and the 27-year-old has been lights out this season. In seven starts, the southpaw was 4-0 to go along with a 1.90 ERA (7th) and 0.77 WHIP (3rd). His 53 punchouts are third in the MLB. Last time out, Skubal faced the Yankees, limiting them to two earned runs on six hits in 6.0 innings. He struck out 12 batters, but held no decisions in the 5-2 loss. It’s worth noting that Skubal is the favorite to win the Cy Young Award this season, at just +250.

The best pieces of Saturday

Scott Steehn – 12-3 NBA Run – Snag Scott’s Saturday Monster NBA Best Bet for Just $29 – CLICK HERE

Marc Ruelle – 17-4 NBA Run – Get Mark’s Saturday afternoon NBA blockbuster for just $29 – CLICK HERE

Arthur Reyes – 11-2-2 MLB Run – Snag Arthur’s Saturday Night MLB Destroyer for Just $29 – CLICK HERE

David Delano – 11-1 NHL Run – Grab David’s Saturday Best NHL Slapshot Bet for Just $29 – CLICK HERE

Esmond strong – 6-0 UFL Run – Pick Up Loud’s Saturday Afternoon UFL Best Bet for just $25 – CLICK HERE

Mike Fink – 20-4 NHL Run – Snag Mike’s Saturday Night NHL Annihilator for Just $29 – CLICK HERE

Best Bets

Full Game Side Bet

Rating:

It should be an exciting matchup in MLB on Saturday night as Cristian Javier takes on Tarik Skubal. With Skubal on fire this season, I have to play the Astros with a win to boot.

First of all, it’s each team’s recent form. Neither team is playing their best baseball, but the Tigers are just 1-6 in their last seven games! Meanwhile, Friday’s victory marked the Astros’ second straight victory. I’ll dive into the numbers below, but Javier has dominated the Tigers in the past. Detroit has one of the worst offenses in the game, so I think he’ll be able to take on Skubal. Finally, Houston simply has more playmakers. They are loaded with game-changing players at the top of the order, and I think this is a great opportunity to play them as underdogs.

Take Houston with the money line.

Prediction: Houston Astros Money Line (+115)

Total choice of the complete game

Rating:

Javier will be making his first start since April, but in four starts this year, the right-hander owns a 1.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. As for the head-to-head numbers I teased before, Javier held the Tigers to a .171/.244/.171 slash line over 41 at-bats. That’s seven singles in 41 at-bats, which is a pretty decent sample size. Additionally, Detroit’s offense is just 23rd in team batting average (.227) and 25th in OPS (.660). On the other hand, there is no denying that Skubal has been a beast this season. He enters this one with a 1.90 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, and he has five quality starts in seven outings this year. He hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in five straight outings. Finally, Detroit hosts a high-end bullpen ranked fourth in ERA (2.81) and fifth in WHIP (1.12).

Let’s play the unders at Motown on Saturday.

Prediction: Under 7.0 (+102)

Written by
Trent Pruitt, “Trent Pruitt”

Trent is originally from Chicago and has been an avid sports fan since he could walk. He played sports throughout his youth and played collegiate rugby at Arizona State University. Trent still resides in Arizona, where he spends his days covering sports from a sports betting perspective. He fell in love with the analytical side of sports in his late teens and has been following the sports betting industry for over 10 years now! You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram for all his sports betting picks: @Trentbets, and he is also one of the newest members of our expert team.

Related Posts