Tuesday night belonged to Vaughn Grissom. Down two in the eighth, he cleared the bases with a grand slam off Will Vest after Logan O'Hoppe, Zach Neto, and a Mike Trout walk loaded them up — a 6-RBI night that flipped a 6-4 deficit into a 10-6 win. Now the Angels, winners of 4 of 5, get a chance to grab the series in Detroit with José Soriano on the bump.
The pitching matchup is the headline. Soriano is 6-3 with a 2.44 ERA and is coming off 6.2 innings of 2-run ball with 7 punchouts against the A's. Casey Mize counters with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.42 mark across his last 2 starts, per Bleacher Nation's series breakdown. On paper this is the best arm-vs-arm fight of the series — which makes the Pinnacle total of 7.5 feel honest even with DraftKings sitting a full run higher at 8.5.
Detroit is the home favorite at -125, but the EV is underwater on every side of this market and the DK ticket split is loud — 71% of moneyline bets on the Tigers, 85% of spread handle on Detroit -1.5. The sharp money on Pinnacle isn't loving the Tigers nearly as much as the public. That's usually a flag worth noting before you fire.
The injury rooms are doing both teams no favors. The Tigers are running it back without Tarik Skubal, Javier Báez, Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, and Parker Meadows — a lineup and rotation that's barely recognizable from Opening Day. The Angels are missing Nolan Schanuel (calf), Travis d'Arnaud, Yoan Moncada, and Yusei Kikuchi. Two banged-up clubs at identical 21-34 records is exactly why this game is closer than the favorite tag suggests.
- Day-To-DayNolan Schanuel 1B — Schanuel (calf) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Detroit.
- 10-Day-ILYoan Moncada 3B — Moncada isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) told reporters Saturday that he does not have a timetable for his return from the 10-day injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDrew Pomeranz RP — Pomeranz (elbow) threw a live bullpen session Saturday, per MLB.com.
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Manager Kurt Suzuki said Tuesday that Joyce (shoulder) has resumed his throwing program in Arizona, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Wednesday that he's slated to begin a throwing program soon and expressed hope that he'll be able to return to the Angels early in the second half of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson RP — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon 3B — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayDugan Darnell RP — The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- Day-To-DayJosue Briceno C — Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILGleyber Torres 2B — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Torres (oblique) felt good while swinging in the batting cage Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKerry Carpenter RF — Carpenter (shoulder) could be cleared to take live batting practice Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJavier Baez SS — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Baez is scheduled to meet with a specialist in the near future for further evaluation on his sprained right ankle, which hasn't healed as quickly as the team hoped, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTy Madden SP — Madden (forearm) covered 4.1 innings and allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out three batters Monday in a rehab start with Triple-A Toledo.
- 15-Day-ILTarik Skubal SP — Skubal (elbow) threw 39 pitches over 2.2 innings in a simulated game Tuesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrant Hurter RP — Hurter (4-1) allowed a run on two hits and a walk across 1.2 innings of relief to take the loss Friday against the Royals. He struck out one.
Bet at your own risk, but the read here is clean: two evenly matched, equally hurt teams, two starters with sub-2.50 ERAs, and a public hammering the home dog-favorite. If the Angels can get to Mize early the way they got to Vest late, this thing tilts fast. Otherwise it's a low-scoring grind that probably lives well under the DK 8.5.