New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers: Odds, Prediction
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Kevin Thompkins
The third and final game of this mid-week series between the New York Yankees (47-31) and the Detroit Tigers (34-45) has its first pitch on Wednesday. After the Tigers took the first game 5-3 on Monday, it took a three-run sixth inning from the Yankees to chase Detroit starter Casey Mize, and New York held on for the 4-3 win.
Wednesday’s game at Comerica Park promises to be a good one, even if the Yankees and Tigers are in different boats in the American League. The Yankees are three games clear of the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East, while Detroit is sinking in the AL Central, as they’re just a half-game out of the cellar.
Every game is important with playoff races and division chases, so let’s predict a winner and break down Wednesday’s game.
Detroit is a -135 favourite to win on the MLB odds, with the total set at 7.5.
MLB Betting Odds and Trends
The Bronx Bombers have found it difficult to push runs across lately. They’ve scored just 16 runs in the last six games, so either the Yankees are in a dry spell or ready to snap out of it. In eight of nine games, the game total has gone under for New York, so facing an ace like Tarik Skubal is not exactly what the doctor ordered.
On the other side, the loss on Tuesday to the Yankees snapped a four-game winning streak after sweeping the White Sox and beating the Yankees in the first game of the series. Their offence isn’t lighting the world on fire either, but they’re still one of the better teams in the American League at home with a 22-17 record. In Detroit’s last six games at home, they’re 5-1, but the under has hit in six of their last seven games. The chances of a closer, low-scoring game seem pretty good.
New York Yankees
The Yankees have fallen into a little bit of a funk, losing four of their last six games, but still hold a nice lead in the AL East. They’ve done this without Aaron Judge, who will remain out for a little while. Luckily, they’ve gotten some nice offensive contributions over the last week from Anthony Volpe (10-of-22), Paul Goldschmidt (three HR, six RBI), and Ben Rice (three HR, six RBI). Rice has really propelled the Yankees as a nice lefty complement to Judge. Rice, over the course of the season, has been awesome, with 22 HR (fourth in MLB) and a .972 OPS that’s good for 17th among all qualified hitters in baseball.
Their pitching has been some of the best in baseball, with a league-leading 3.37 ERA as a team and the best HR/9 (0.92) in baseball as well. When they get Judge back, this team can go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers for the best team in baseball.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers have had solid pitching this season, with the seventh-lowest ERA (3.84) as a team. That’s even without Tarik Skubal for a stretch as well, so kudos to the rest of the staff. Offseason signing Framber Valdez (4-5, 3.91 ERA) has been just OK and hasn’t provided the pitching Detroit’s looked for out of him, but there’s still time to right the ship.
It’s been the Tigers’ poor hitting that’s led them to underachieve through 79 games. Detroit is a bottom-third team in the league in OPS (.710) and just can’t plate runs as they have the seventh-fewest runs of any team in baseball thus far in 2026. Kevin McGonigle has been a bright spot with an .823 OPS, a 48:42 K:BB ratio as a 21-year-old rookie, and a 4.2 WAR with 1.3 coming on the defensive end. McGonigle is the odds-on favourite to win AL Rookie of the Year and for good reason. Backstop Dillon Dingler has been the Tigers’ best power source with 18 HR and 56 RBI, both of which lead the team.
MLB Prediction: Who Will Win Yankees vs. Tigers?
The Yankees will send out Ryan Weathers, who, after a solid first three months of the season, has a gaudy 6.48 ERA in three June starts. Weathers put a nice start together against the White Sox last Thursday, getting one out into the seventh inning and allowing just three hits and an earned run. For the Tigers, they’ll counter with their ace, Tarik Skubal. He has allowed five earned runs in two starts since returning.
With the Tigers sending out their ace at home, we’ll go with Skubal and the Tigers against the Yankees.
Best Bet: Tigers -1.5 (-149)
NYY
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