The Tigers remain the slight favorite to win the American League Central, even after losing their ace and two-time reigning Cy Young winner.
Tarik Skubal reacts to news that he’ll undergo elbow surgery after missing Monday’s start against Boston.
Tigers beat reporter Chris McCosky asks Tarik Skubal about his reaction after finding out about elbow surgery.
Detroit — You might not want to crumble up and throw away those Tigers betting slips just yet.
While the Tigers’ odds took hit in the immediate wake of Monday’s Tarik Skubal injury news — he is having elbow surgery and is likely out until August at the earliest — they still remain the slight favorites to win the American League Central, according to the latest lines via DraftKings.
As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Tigers were listed at plus-160 to win the AL Central, meaning you bet $100 to win $160. That’s just ahead of the Cleveland Guardians, who were listed at +180. The Guardians have won the last two AL Central championships and three of the last four. The Tigers last won the AL Central in 2014.
The Tigers and Guardians both are 18-18 entering play Tuesday, tied atop the division. The AL Central is the only division in baseball without a team with a winning record.
DraftKings has the Kansas City Royals listed at +320 to win the division, followed by the Minnesota Twins at +1000 and the Chicago White Sox at +2000.
The Tigers’ World Series odds were listed at +2500 on Tuesday morning, ninth-best in baseball. The Tigers’ odds to win the AL were listed at +1100, tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for fifth in the league. Interestingly, those are the same World Series odds they had through DraftKings after they signed starting pitchers Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander this winter, and the AL odds actually are slightly better than the +1200 they had in February.
The Tigers have been snake-bitten by injuries this season, with about $90 million of their franchise-record $235-million payroll currently allocated to the injured list. The rotation has been hit particularly hard, with Skubal, Verlander, Casey Mize, Troy Melton and Reese Olson all on the IL.
The Tigers play the Red Sox in the second game of their three-game series at Comerica Park on Tuesday night.
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