For a brief moment, there was a flicker of hope for Orioles’ fans. The team came into the weekend on a six-game winning streak, set to take on an Athletics squad that had not won a series in over a month. Well, needless to say, both of those trends ended in a thud. Baltimore still sits 12 games below .500 and 13 games back on the Yankees for first spot in the AL East.
In reality, it’s been the Tigers that have lived up to the lofty expectations some had for the Orioles in Spring Training. Detroit is coming off a series win over the Cubs and, at 43-24, the team owns the top record in the American League by a wide margin. It’s a good time to be a Tigers fan.
Let’s break down this matchup of two clubs headed in opposite directions with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tigers vs. Orioles prediction, preview
Detroit will be going with their tried and true opener method on Tuesday, sending Brant Hurter to the mound ahead of Sawyer Gipson-Long. It makes sense. Not only has Hurter been fantastic in 2025, pitching to a 1.62 ERA across 33.1 innings of work, but he’s specifically held opposing LHBs to a putrid slash line of .122/.250/.146 with a .204 wOBA. Baltimore loves to stack its potent lefty bats at the top of the order, including Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn and Jackson Holliday. This will directly combat that, or at least make the team think twice about lineup construction for this evening’s tilt.
The other aspect to consider with Hurter’s presence is how uninspiring Gipson-Long looked in his first outing of 2025. The 27-year-old had not thrown an inning at the MLB level since 2023 due to injury, and Gipson-Long made his return last Wednesday against the White Sox. Despite the great matchup on paper, Gipson-Long surrendered five hits and three earned runs in just 3.2 innings. This included giving up a pair of barrels in only 12 batted ball events. Still, it wasn’t an outing completely devoid of positives, as Gipson-Long also registered a 14.3% swinging strike rate. Missing bats is always the best course of action, and if Gipson-Long can generate that many whiffs on a consistent basis, his numbers will start to turn around.
On the opposite side of Detroit’s “bullpen” game will be Cade Povich. The left-hander’s last four starts have looked much better — he’s pitched to a 2.88 FIP in that span — yet Povich’s overall numbers remain dreadful in 2025. In 56.1 innings, the 25-year-old sports a 5.11 ERA and an inflated 5.87 xERA, thanks mostly to a 12.7% opponent barrel rate that would be the highest mark in baseball had Povich the volume to qualify. Povich has also been exceedingly hurt by the newest left field alterations at Camden Yards. To wit, Povich owns a 7.24 ERA at home this season and he’s allowed an eye-popping 2.63 home runs per nine within the split. Yikes.
Tigers vs. Orioles pick, best bet
Best Bet: Tigers ML (+109)
Detroit’s 116 wRC+ versus LHPs is the seventh-highest mark in MLB. How often do you get to bet the best team in the AL at plus-money?
Strong Lean: Gleyber Torres 2+ Total Bases (+120)
Torres has a .461 expected wOBA against LHPs in 2025 — the seventh-best mark in baseball among hitters with at least 50 plate appearances within the split.
