BEST LINES: Pinnacle +115 Bet365 +105 SportsInteraction +115 5DIMES +110

Posted at 11:00 AM EST. 

First 5 innings wager.

8:05 PM EST. The Tigers pen is too unreliable to trust under any circumstances so we’ll attempt to take them out of this equation. That leaves us Michael Fulmer for the first five and he’s a rock solid starter to get behind. It’s a very rare day when this AL Rookie of the Year winner last year does not go five full. Fulmer burst onto the scene last year with a 2.25 ERA through his first 19 starts before his strand rate fortune caught up with him but it wasn't all luck. In the 2nd half, Fulmer traded a bit of K’s for control but his swing and miss rate was still good enough to rack up strikeouts. Combine that with his robust groundball rate and he’s a solid investment. This year Fulmer is right back at it with a BB/K split of 13/46 in 53 innings with a 2.72 ERA and 48% groundball rate. Man, you talk about consistency and one need not look further than this under the radar sophomore, who has the EXACT same xERA this year so far (3.44) as he had all of last year.

Brad Peacock will get bet today because he plays for the Astronauts and because of his 2-0 record and 1.10 ERA. While Peacock’s numbers look really appealing both above the surface and below it, it has all come in relief and there is an entirely different mindset between starting and relieving. Brad Peacock has worked 16 innings and has whiffed 22 batters. He’s also walked 10 but ooohhh man, that 18% whiff rate is tasty, particularly because his zone-contact % is just 66%. That’s the fifth lowest in the league and we can’t attribute that to any single pitch. Peacock’s whiff rates on his fastball, changeup, and slider have all jumped but we don’t see anything in his profile that suggests any major changes to his pitch mix, movement, or velocity so we’re not buying into Peacock just yet and probably never will.

Every reliever in baseball is a former starter that could not make it as such. Peacock has been given numerous chances to start but failed each time. He’s been around the major leagues since 2011 and has been riding the shuttle between the minors and majors ever since. Peacock’s career swing and miss rate was 7% prior to the 18% he’s posted this year. Again, there’s a big difference between pitching one inning where you can let it rip for 15-20 pitches and being asked to throw between 80-100 pitches and get to the sixth inning. Peacock has never been able to do the latter consistently and so his role has been relegated to relieving. This is a spot start for him in place of Dallas Keuchel, who will miss one start because of a pinched nerve in his neck. Over his starting career, Peacock has remained healthy but his skills haven’t. His stints at AAA were hardly a step forward. Walks remain an issue and his stagnant strikeout rate was always subpar and his swing and miss rate hints it will stay that way. His career xERA (5.09) and past performances for 280 innings prior to this year override what he’s done in 16 innings of relief this year.

Open an account today at Pinnacle Sports and take advantage of their -104 style pricing on sides and totals, which is 60% better than other sportsbooks.