Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Thursday afternoon:

WHITE SOX at TIGERS (Under 8 ½, +100) – 1:05 pm ET #963-964

Not an official play, but I would rate the Under as a light lean this afternoon.

For the third time this season, Freddy Garcia gets to face the Detroit Tigers. Garcia is 2-0 with a 3.46 ERA against Detroit giving up just five runs in 13 innings pitched against them. Johnny Damon (13-53), Jhonny Peralta (3-14), Gerald Laird (1-13), Ryan Raburn (0-6), Ramon Santiago (0-3), and Alex Avila (0-3) all struggle against Garcia. He'll face a Tigers lineup that has scored just 31 runs over their last 10 games. They've gone Under the total in three of four games and Under the total in nine of their last 14 games. Chicago’s bullpen has an ERA near 3.20 as a unit on the road so they are good at holding a lead.

Detroit’s Max Scherzer has been outstanding since his return from the minor leagues. In fact, he's 1-1 with a 1.89 ERA in his last three starts giving up just five runs in 19 innings pitched. Those three starts happened to be against good lineups in Boston, Tampa Bay, and Texas. Earlier this season, Scherzer lost 3-0 to the White Sox after giving up three runs and five hits in 7.3 innings of work. Mark Kotsay (0-4), Alex Rios (0-3), and Carlos Quentin (0-3) are all looking for their first hits against the righty. The White Sox have gone Under the total in two straight games and Under in three of their last four games overall. The Tigers bullpen matches the White Sox in stats especially at home where their ERA is right around 3.30. These two teams have played four Unders in six meetings this season, and we expect another low-scoring game this afternoon.