Every team is in action on Friday. Well, in theory. Thanks to some nasty weather in the northeast, there’s serious question marks about tonight’s games in Baltimore and New York getting underway. Still, there’s more the enough baseball and bets on the DraftKings Sportsbook to make everyone happy.
Let’s break down a couple of my favorites, shall we?
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins
Tigers ML (+100)
I am jumping at the chance to take the Tigers as slight road underdogs on Friday night. After dropping their first two games of the season against the mighty Dodgers, Detroit has truly looked like one of the American League’s best teams, going 7-3 across its last 10. It’s not just that the Tigers are winning, though. It’s how they’re winning.
The biggest flaw in the 2024 incarnation of Detroit was its complete inability to score runs. That has not been an issue in 2025 — even with key free agent signing Gleyber Torres already on the IL. The Tigers enter tonight’s slate slashing .261/.342/.448 with a 131 wRC+ that is the second-best mark in MLB. Spencer Torkelson’s hot start has been the driving force, as the former first-overall pick finally seems to be figuring things out at the major league level. By contrast, Minnesota comes into Friday hitting .199 as a team with a 75 wRC+. Woof.
I’d also give Detroit the slight edge on the mound in this one. While David Festa does have some real potential, the 25-year-old struggled to a 4.90 ERA across 64.1 innings in his rookie campaign in 2024. Reese Olson is far from the flashiest name in the Tigers’ rotation, yet he’s incredibly consistent and reliable, as evidenced by his career 3.58 FIP. Look for the RHP to shut down the Twins’ underwhelming lineup and set up his squad for a victory.
Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners
Over 6.5 (-120)
I’m a little torn on this bet. On the one hand, both of these teams haven’t hit at all to begin 2025 and an injury to Wyatt Langford isn’t likely to help in that regard. On the other, it’s rare to see a total set at 6.5 runs for any game. Given that neither of these starting pitchers has quite lived up to the hype so far this season, I’m inclined to lean towards the over in this spot.
Let’s start with Jacob deGrom, who probably has more name value than real life value at this point in his career. Don’t get me wrong, deGrom still has the potential to be one of the 10 best pitchers in the world, it’s just not 2018 anymore. The right-hander will turn 37-years-old in less than three months and the fastball isn’t quite what it used to be — or, at the very least, deGrom is holding back to try and stay healthy. Where deGrom’s average fastball velocity sat at 99.1 mph as recently as 2023, it’s been at only 96.8 mph through two starts in 2025. That’s led to a pretty noticeable decline in strikeout rate (20.5%) and FIP (4.57). It’s early and these are small samples, I’d just warn that deGrom is no longer the pitching cyborg he used to be.
Then there’s Bryce Miller. We all knew Miller was due for some regression in 2025 after riding a ridiculous .237 BABIP to major success in 2024. Well, it’s happened more quickly than I thought it would. With some added walk issues, Miller’s surrendered seven earned runs in his first 11.0 innings this season. The RHP isn’t likely going to blowup on Friday, yet I think it’s fair to expect the Rangers to score two or three runs off the 26-year-old.
