Yankees vs. Tigers Thursday probable pitchers, odds, props, free pick: Miguel Cabrera favored to join 3,000-hit club in matinee

There are 32 players in Major League Baseball history with at least 3,000 hits. Detroit Tigers future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera can join that club Thursday afternoon as he's sitting at 2,999 career hits and Caesars Sportsbook expects him to get at least one knock at Comerica Park against the New York Yankees: Over 0.5 hits for Cabrera is -220 compared to +185 for Under. The Yankees are solid favorites on the moneyline to complete the series sweep.

With a hit, the former Triple Crown winner Cabrera -- who is batting cleanup -- would join an even more exclusive club: 500 homers and 3,000 hits. Only six players have done that: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols (still active). Pujols was the most recent to join in 2018 with the Angels. Cabrera has 502 home runs. This season, he has yet to go yard (+750 to do so Thursday) and is batting .333 with three RBIs.

One hilarious stat about Miggy's 2,999 hits: Just one is a bunt single. That came on June 9, 2006, when Cabrera was with the Marlins and facing San Diego's Chris Young, who is now the general manager of the Texas Rangers.

"I remember going through my delivery and all of a sudden as I'm releasing the ball, I see him start to square and show bunt. He laid down the most perfect bunt down the third-base line," Young recalled. "I couldn't get to it, the third baseman was way back and he couldn't get to it and it just came to a stop. I'm like, Well, I guess if you're gonna give up hits to Miguel Cabrera, a bunt is the best way to do it so. I remember it perfectly and I was surprised. In my own little way, at that point in my career, I took it as a compliment that one of the best hitters in the game bunted off me instead of homered off me."

The Yankees start lefty Jordan Montgomery (0-0, 3.24) on the mound and Cabrera is 1-for-3 career off him. Montgomery has allowed one run or fewer in 10 of his past 14 starts dating to last July. He won his lone career start vs. Detroit in April 2018 at Comerica Park.

Former Yankee Michael Pineda makes his season and Tigers debut. Pineda signed late this spring and had to wait to obtain a work visa, delaying his arrival to spring training. He spent the past four seasons with the Twins and was 9-8 with a 3.62 ERA last year. Pineda was with the Yanks from 2014-17. Josh Donaldson can't hit the guy, going 2-for-21 career -- so not a huge surprise he's getting the day off. Click here for model picks. 

Free MLB picks: Tigers -120 on RL and Miggy gets a hit. 

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