The Tigers have surged towards the best record in baseball, due in part to one of baseball’s best pitchers. Tarik Skubal has emerged as one of the sport’s most dangerous arms, striking fear into any lineup. What should we expect from Detroit’s ace against the Orioles on Thursday?
Tonight, the Tigers are heavy favorites (-207) over Baltimore, with the over/under set at eight runs. Before the start of Thursday’s matchup, here’s my favorite Tarik Skubal player prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tarik Skubal over 18.5 outs recorded (+100)
Skubal put together a campaign to remember in 2024, securing his first career Cy Young award win. Following an uneven first few weeks, the left-hander has wasted no time getting back on track this season. Through 83.1 innings of work, he’s notched a 2.16 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 105 strikeouts. It’s no coincidence that the Tigers have a record of 9-4 when Skubal takes the mound. At this point, it’s difficult to think of a more intimidating American League hurler.
Things have not gone according to plan for Detroit’s opponent tonight. The Orioles find themselves at the bottom of the AL East with a disappointing 27-39 record. Among the club’s many problems, an offense scoring the sixth-fewest runs per game (3.92) stands out. Baltimore has had major issues against southpaws in particular this season. The Birds rank last in batting average (.205), slugging percentage (.279) and OPS (.562) against lefties. Other than Ramon Urias (.344) and Cedric Mullins (.283), no Orioles player is hitting better than .260 against left-handers.
Skubal’s dominance makes it somewhat difficult to find a player prop with value. However, he’s been an absolute workhorse recently. The 28-year-old has tossed at least 6.1 innings in five of his last six appearances. In that stretch, the All-Star has allowed a total of ten earned runs (2.11 ERA). Although the Orioles don’t get on base often, they only have the 15th-most strikeouts against lefties. That means Baltimore should hit into some easy outs during Thursday’s contest. At even money, expect a lengthy outing for Skubal at Camden Yards tonight.
