The Detroit Tigers host the San Francisco Giants on May 26, 2025. First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET; the game will be broadcast on MLB Network.
The Tigers stay home after avoiding a four-game sweep versus the Guardians. Coming to Detroit are the Giants, who have won six of their last ten games.
Find my Giants vs Tigers prediction below.
My Giants vs Tigers Prediction
- Giants vs Tigers picks: Giants Moneyline (play to -130)
My Giants vs Tigers best bet is the Giants moneyline. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Giants vs Tigers Odds, Game Information
| Giants Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +154 | 8.5 -115o | -110 |
| Tigers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -190 | 8.5 -115o / -105u | -110 |
Giants vs Tigers Projected Starting Pitchers
| Hayden Birdsong (SFG) | Stat | Keider Montero (DET) |
|---|---|---|
| 2-0 | W-L | 1-1 |
| 0.0 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | -0.2 |
| 1.91 / 3.75 | ERA / xERA | 5.28 / 4.68 |
| 4.13 / 4.03 | FIP / xFIP | 5.29 / 4.82 |
| 1.24 | WHIP | 1.57 |
| 15.8% | K-BB% | 5.9% |
| 33.3% | GB% | 44.4% |
| 107 | Stuff+ | 96 |
| 90 | Location+ | 96 |
Giants vs Tigers Betting Insights
Giants Recent Stats, Betting Performance, Player Insights: Bird is the Word
All it took for the Giants to give Hayden Birdsong another chance in the rotation was to give up on the Jordan Hicks experiment. Birdsong held the Royals to one unearned run over five innings with five hits in his first start of the year.
However, facing the Tigers is a different beast than facing the Royals.
Birdsong has a very interesting profile. While he boasts an elite 1.91 ERA, all of his expected stats are nearly two runs higher.
The right-hander ranks in the 69th percentile in xBA. However, teams make strong contact, as he ranks in the 42nd percentile in barrel rate and 28th in hard-hit rate.
It's tough to figure out what the starter version of Birdsong looks like. But I feel decent about it if he continues striking out 9.2 batters per nine.
You can certainly find some major issues in the Giants' lineup. For one, they rank 19th in MLB with a 96 wRC+ since May 10. The issue is that San Francisco doesn’t have enough power bats, ranking 23rd with 13 homers and a .138 isolated power.
The batted-ball data backs up the Giants' power issues. They have a 24.5% hard-hit rate in their last 14 games, which is the worst in MLB by 4%. I don't expect much from San Francisco in terms of power, but the traffic could eventually break the Tigers.
That'll happen when the left-side infield duo of Willy Adames and Matt Chapman are hitting below .185 over the past two weeks with three combined home runs.
The good news? Other hitters are contributing, so the Giants' offense should be strong once the highly-paid bats start performing.
Even when San Francisco isn't hitting, it uses an MLB-best 13% walk rate (since May 10th) to create constant traffic.
Tigers Recent Stats, Betting Performance, Player Insights: Not Much Behind Skubal
The Tigers have the best record in baseball, but even the best teams have their warts.
The problem for Detroit is its injury-plagued rotation. Beyond Tarik Skubal, it’s a mess and Keider Montero is the biggest problem. He’s appeared in six games, starting four with a 5.28 ERA, 5.29 FIP, 3.82 BB/9 and 1.47 HR/9.
Nothing about Montero's profile suggests that he's anything more than organizational depth. I can't justify taking Detroit with Montero on the mound in most spots.
Detroit's previously elite offense has cratered lately. It ranks 18th with a 100 wRC+ since May 10.
The Tigers' approach is troubling, as they walk just 7.6% of the time while punching out at a 23.8% rate. The sky-high strikeout rate isn't ideal with the strikeout-heavy Birdsong staring them down.
Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene are two of the most dangerous righty-pitching mashers in MLB.
In the last 14 games, Greene boasts a 199 wRC+ and Carpenter has 146 wRC+, which leads Detroit. Birdsong will have to evade that pair if the Giants want to pull out a series-opening victory.
Giants vs Tigers Prediction, Betting Analysis
While this could seem like a mismatch based on the Tigers having the best record in MLB, the Giants are no slouch.
Remember when everybody passed over San Francisco, as if it wasn't a legitimate playoff threat? That seems like an oversight. The Giants have a 31-22 record, sitting just one games behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West.
This isn't a big mismatch. Both offenses have struggled for different reasons in May. However, the swing factor here is the pitching matchup, and I'll take Birdsong over Montero all day.
Pick: Giants ML (play to -130)
