Orioles vs. Tigers: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The Baltimore Orioles travel to the Motor City to face off against the Detroit Tigers on Friday. The Orioles are in the basement of the competitive American League East with a 10-14 record. Meanwhile, the Tigers own the lead in the American League Central standings with a 14-10 record.

The Orioles have struggled to keep it clean on the mound, with the team posting a league-worst 5.25 ERA among all pitching crews. Although their firepower has produced so far, the worries of experts regarding the team's pitching staff, amplified by the loss of ace Corbin Burnes to the D'backs, are currently unfolding.

Detroit, on the other hand, boasts one of the best pitching staffs in MLB. The Tigers lead the American League in ERA with 2.94. Their offense hasn't been too shabby either, as it ranks inside the top 10 of team counting stats and batting averages.

Orioles vs Tigers recent form and records

The Orioles barely avoided a sweep in the Beltway Series against the Nationals. Baltimore edged out Washington 2-1 in the final game of their three-game set yesterday. However, the team has only won two of its last six games, including a 24-2 drubbing against the Reds on April 20.

The Tigers are coming off an impressive three-game series against the powerhouse Padres. Detroit claimed two victories against San Diego, including a 6-0 shutout in the closing game.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

BAL: Brandon Young (0-0, 6.75 ERA), DET: Casey Mize (3-1, 2.22 ERA)

Detroit Tigers

2018 first overall pick Casey Mize is slowly living up to the expectations that entailed his selection order when he was drafted. The 27-year-old currently owns a 3-1 record across four starts. Mize also has 18 strikeouts across 24 and 1/3 innings pitched.

Must-Watch Hitters

Baltimore Orioles

Former All-Star and Silver Slugger Cedric Mullins has picked up the slack in the Orioles offense. The center fielder is batting at a .295/.433/.590 clip with an OPS of 1.023. Mullins leads all Baltimore pitchers in base hits with 23, doubles with five, home runs with six, and stolen bases with five.

Orioles vs Tigers baseball betting odds

Friday, 4/25	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
BAL	+114	+1.5, -194	O 8.5, -113
DET	-127	-1.5, +154	U 8.5, -106

Orioles vs Tigers expert picks and game prediction

In 2024, the Orioles lost four of their six games against the Tigers. With the team reeling and the Tigers seemingly hitting their stride even against powerhouse teams, expect a lopsided victory for Detroit.

Run Line: -1.5, +154

Total Runs: U 8.5, -106

Prediction: DET wins 5-1

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago