MLB Playoff Odds: Tigers Are Best Bet to Earn Final Wild Card Spot in American League

The Detroit Tigers may have been sellers at the deadline, moving on from starting pitchers Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, but they are suddenly knocking on the door of a playoff spot with a little less than two months left in the regular season.

Detroit has the best run differential in the American League (plus-89), and it has won eight of 10 games, putting it less than a game out of the final wild card spot. The Tigers are also just 2.5 games out of the AL Central lead even though they are one game under .500 this season.

Earlier this week, Detroit was +200 in the odds to make the playoffs, jumping all the way from +475 back on Aug. 3. FanGraphs had given the Tigers a 32.3 percent chance to make the playoffs back on Aug. 10 and that has already improved to 37.4 with the team’s recent win streak.

At DraftKings, the Tigers have improved their odds to make the postseason to +155, sitting behind only the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. Detroit is also just a half-game back of Texas in the standings.

So, are the Tigers worth a bet to make the playoffs? I wrote that they were back on Monday, but I think bettors need to jump on this price while Detroit is still set at plus money to make the postseason.

The AL Central is still clearly in play for the Tigers, and they have been one of the best teams in MLB over the last 30 days.

Tigers Stats Over Last 30 Days

Record: 15-9 (6th)
Team ERA: 2.81 (1st)
Team WHIP: 1.16 (6th)
Batting Average: .276 (2nd)
OPS: .792 (5th)
Runs Scored: 138 (T-3rd)
Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+): 127 (1st)

The run differential doesn’t lie, and Detroit doesn’t have a hard schedule left, ranking 16th in the league in remaining schedule strength, per Tankathon. It’s worth noting that the AL West teams have easier schedules than the Tigers, but part of that is due to the fact that Houston and Seattle still have a series remaining against each other.

Losing Skubal obviously hurts Detroit’s ceiling, but this team has an elite bullpen (3.75 ERA) and an offense that is really finding its form.

The American League is filled with mediocre teams after Tampa Bay, Boston and New York, so why not take a shot on the Tigers as the squad that gets hot late in the season and ends up in the playoffs?

If they keep playing at this level, they’re not going to be set at plus money for much longer, as we’ve seen them go from +475 to +155 to make the postseason in just nine days.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Claim the latest DraftKings promo code offer today. Sign up and get $150 in bonus bets instantly when you make your first $5 bet.

Add us as a preferred source on Google