Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Tampa Bay Rays vs Detroit Tigers: Both teams are theoretically still in the playoff race

The Tampa Bay Rays are visiting the Detroit Tigers tonight at Comerica Park.

The Rays have the longest active winning streak in the AL

The Tampa Bay Rays are fourth in the AL East with a 78-78 record and 36-39 on the road. They have won the last four games even though they did not score more than 4 runs in any of those games. Tampa Bay has a 3.80 ERA, a .234 batting average, a .299 on-base percentage, and 1.21 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Yandy Diaz leads the team with 157, Jose Caballero is on top with 53 runs, while Brandon Lowe leads with 20 home runs.

The Diamondbacks are almost there

The Detroit Tigers are third in the AL Central with an 82-74 record, including 39-36 at home. They have won 6 of the last 7 games and are coming off a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. The Tigers have a 3.65 ERA, a .232 batting average, a .294 on-base percentage, and 1.17 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Matt Vierling is the best player on the team with 130 hits, and 76 runs, while Riley Greene leads the team with 24 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Tigers 6-1 SU in their last 7 games overall, 2-5 SU in their last 7 home games against the Rays and 9-2 SU in their last 11 games against teams from the AL. Detroit has played under the total run line in 7 of their last 10 games overall, 14 of their last 17 home games and 9 of their last 12 games against teams from the AL East. The Rays are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games overall, and 11-4 SU in their last 15 games against the Tigers. Detroit has played under the total run line in their last 5 games overall, 7 of their last 8 games on the road and 10 of their last 11 games against teams from the AL.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both teams are theoretically still in the playoff race, with the Tigers having 69.6% of a chance to get there while the Rays are barely hanging on with 0.4%. What makes this game very interesting is the fact that both teams are playing very well lately and will start the playoffs with a winning record. The Rays will go with Ryan Pepiot, who is 8-6 for the season with a 3.64 ERA, 131 K, 121 IP, and 1.13 WHIP. The Tigers will go all-in with Tarik Skubal, who is 17-4 for the season with a 2.48 ERA, 221 K, and 0.94 WHIP, which ranks him second in the entire league. Skubal will definitely bring his best game tonight and lead the Tigers to an important win.