MLB Baseball
2026-06-25 - Houston Astros at Detroit Tigers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Thursday 25th June 2026 - Scheduled 6:40pm EST
11:40pm (British Time)
Preview
August 3rd is the date on the mind of anyone associated with the Detroit Tigers (34-46) and they are about to reach the halfway stage of the regular season this weekend still 7.5 games out of the lead in the American League Central. Consecutive losses to the New York Yankees have slowed the momentum that the Tigers looked to be picking up and trade rumours continue to swirl around the top players on the roster.
The only way that changes is if the Detroit Tigers can find some consistency in the weeks ahead and that has to begin with this series against the Houston Astros (39-43).
These two teams could become potential Wild Card rivals and so the head to head will be important- the Astros have already won two of three in a series played at home, while they have won six of the last eight overall to start pushing towards the top of the American League West.
Houston will give the ball to Tatsuya Imai who has a 4-3 record and 6.15 ERA in ten starts in what is his rookie season in the Major Leagues. Strong numbers in his last couple of years in Japan saw Imai earn himself this contract with the Houston Astros, but his start to the season was delayed with an injury and he is still learning about the difference in quality between the two Leagues in Japan and the United States.
The Astros are not going to lose faith in Tatsuya Imai and he does have a 2-0 record in three starts in June having allowed five runs in 11 Innings thrown in those decision wins. They do sandwich an outing where Tatsuya Imai was unable to get out of the First Inning when roughed up for five runs by the Kansas City Royals, but the batting lineup stepped up to prevent him from factoring into any decision loss.
This will be the first time Imai has pitched against the Detroit Tigers and the Houston Astros will need him to be at his best when duelling Troy Melton.
Most of the trade rumours in Detroit are surrounding Tarik Skubal, which is not a surprise considering his contract situation and the Tigers position. However, Troy Melton may also be someone that teams are keeping an eye on having posted a 4-0 record and 2.56 ERA in five starts since being activated off the Injured List.
Troy Melton is only in his sophomore year in the Big Leagues so there is little reason to believe the Detroit Tigers would even contemplate allowing him to move on and especially if they are resetting the rotation unit. At this stage, all Melton is trying to do is remain a key part of the rotation and he has only allowed more than two runs in one of the five starts made since returning to action.
The pitcher has earned the decision win in all three June starts having thrown 19 Innings and allowed just seven runs- four of those came in one start.
Prediction
Both of these American League teams are trying to find some consistency and they have around 45 games to prove they can push for a Playoff spot rather than becoming a selling team at the trade deadline.
The Houston Astros have won six of the last eight games, which makes them dangerous, but Troy Melton may be able to out-duel Tatsuya Imai and give the Detroit Tigers a foundation from which they can get back to winning ways.
It may not be a high-scoring game on Thursday in the opener of this set, but the Tigers may do just enough to edge past Houston.
The Pick :
Detroit Tigers 4-3 Houston Astros
