The Detroit Tigers have fallen 2.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the AL Central lead following back-to-back defeats to the Los Angeles Angels. While they've struggled at the plate of late, so have the Angels and I think the Tigers will keep this a close game, at the very least.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Angels will hand the ball to Jered Weaver (3-4, 4.06 ERA) who's been quite inconsistent on the year. He's held opponents to three runs or less in six of his 10 starts, but also given up 4+ runs in four starts. His lifetime numbers against the Tigers are not overly impressive, going 4-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 11 career starts. Detroit will counter with Shane Greene (4-3, 4.27 ERA) who conceded four runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 4-0 loss at Oakland his last start. He had held the Cardinals scoreless over five innings his last start away from home prior though, and while his numbers on the road are not terrific this year, remember that he was 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA over seven appearances away from home his debut season last year.

2. Situational - The Tigers are 6-1 in their last seven after losing the first two games of a series and they're 11-4 in their last 15 during game 3 of a series overall.

3. X-Factor - Detroit's bullpen has the seventh best ERA in the majors leagues on the year (2.98) while L.A's ranks in the middle of the pack with a 3.66 ERA.

Selection: This is a play on the Detroit Tigers +1.5 (8*)