It is Memorial Day, which means the rarity of afternoon baseball on a Monday.
Things kick off in Detroit, where the AL-leading Tigers will welcome the Giants to start a three-game series at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Let’s break down this interleague matchup with some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Giants vs. Tigers prediction, preview
For as amazing as the Tigers’ pitching staff has been to start 2025, Keider Montero is a bit of the exception to the rule. The 24-year-old has been limited to just four starts and six appearances so far this season, as he’s struggled to a 5.28 ERA and a 5.30 FIP across 30.2 innings of work. Montero’s weakness continues to be the long ball. After surrendering an eye-popping 1.74 opponent home runs per nine in 2024, the right-hander has proceeded to give up 1.47 per nine this year. Lefties have also been a red flag, with the 61 that Montero’s seen in his six outings combining to slash a very healthy .365/.450/.654 with a .471 wOBA.
However, the Giants’ roster construct swings quite hard to the right and the few LHBs that the team does employ have been underwhelming in 2025. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Patrick Bailey are both hitting below the Mendoza Line against RHPs in 2025, while Jung Hoo Lee has cooled significantly in May, with just a 74 wRC+ in the month. Leadoff man Mike Yastrzemski has a 140 wRC+ versus right-handers this season, but aside from him, it’s been a disappointment.
On the other side of the pitching matchup, you’ll find Hayden Birdsong, who is finally back in San Francisco’s rotation after beginning the year as a long man out of the team’s bullpen. Birdsong made his first start of 2025 last Tuesday against the Royals, going five innings without allowing a single earned run. He threw 80 pitches in that contest, so it stands to reason that the young RHP should be able to flirt with the 100-pitch mark this afternoon. The 23-year-old is far from perfect, yet with 117 strikeouts in 100.1 career innings, he’s certainly an intriguing arm for the Giants’ future with some real upside in the fantasy world.
Giants vs. Tigers pick, best bet
Best Bet: Tigers ML (-112)
Detroit is 18-8 at home in 2025 and the Giants don’t have the bats to exploit Montero’s flaws.
Strong Lean: Hayden Birdsong Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-105)
Birdsong owns a career 26.9% strikeout rate and the Tigers sport MLB’s ninth-highest strikeout rate in 2025 (23.0%).
