The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians clash Friday in a MLB doubleheader at Progressive Field. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
Detroit Tigers Betting Preview
The Tigers look for a win after splitting their last 10 games. The Tigers are now 8 games back in the AL Central. The Tigers pitching staff is 19th in ERA (4.48), 13th in WHIP (1.27) and 29th in quality starts (26). The Tigers’ offense is 29th in runs per game (3.98), 26h in batting average (.235) and 26th in homers (119). Spencer Torkelson leads the Tigers with 103 hits and 66 RBI, while Riley Greene and Matt Vierling have combined for 193 hits and 62 RBI. Matt Manning gets the ball, and he is 4-4 with a 4.60 ERA and 40 strikeouts this season. Manning is 0-2 with a 17.61 ERA and 5 strikeouts in his career against the Guardians.
Detroit Tigers Team Facts
- The Tigers have lost 15 of their last 17 games at Progressive Field following a win.
- The Tigers have covered the run line eight of their last nine day games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- The Tigers have led after 7 innings in each of their last six day games against AL Central opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Tigers’ last eight day games at Progressive Field.
Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview
The Guardians need a win after losing 10 of their last 15 games. The Guardians are 4.5 games back in the AL Central. The Guardians pitching staff is 3rd in ERA (3.78), 14th in WHIP (1.28) and 13th in quality starts (44). The Guardians’ offense is 27th in runs per game (4.05), 17th in batting average (.225) and 30th in homers (88). Steven Kwan leads the Guardians with 131 hits and 41 RBI, while Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have combined for 238 hits and 145 RBI. Gavin Williams gets the ball, and he is 1-3 with a 2.80 ERA and 59 strikeouts this season. This will be Williams’ first career game against the Tigers.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
- The Guardians have won 13 of their last 14 home games against AL Central opponents following a road loss.
- The Guardians have covered the run line in each of their last six games against American League opponents.
- The Guardians have led after 7 innings in each of their last six Friday games against the Tigers.
- The Guardians have led after 3 innings in each of their last three day games against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last eight day games between the Tigers and Guardians at Progressive Field.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 30th in the league for home runs this season (88).
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 1st in the league for strikeouts against this season (842).
- The Detroit Tigers ranks 29th in the league for runs scored this season (477).
- The Detroit Tigers ranks 29th in the league for on-base percentage this season (.300).
Randy’s Pick
Game 1 Pick: The Guardians can’t afford to keep losing if they’re going to get back in the playoff race, especially against bottom feeding teams. Gavin Williams has been the better pitcher over Tarik Skubal with his 2.80 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Must win game for the Guardians if we’re being honest. Give me the home team to win game 1 of this doubleheader.
Game 2 Pick: Once again, the Guardians can’t let games like this slip away if they’re going to make a serious run for a playoff spot. The Tigers are one of the worst teams in the AL, and their offense is horrible. Xzavion Curry has been solid through 69 innings with his 3.39 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. No excuses for the Guardians. I’ll take Cleveland to sweep this doubleheader.
