In this article we will formulate a Tigers vs Guardians prediction for this MLB game on Thursday, September 18th at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.
Detroit Tigers Betting Preview
The Detroit Tigers are 85-67 this season after they lost the first two games in this series by scores of 5-7 and 0-4. In their game two loss, Detroit never got their offense going and ended up getting shutout. The Tigers recorded just four hits in the game and they were led by Meadows, who went 2-3 in the loss. Detroit started Flaherty, who allowed three hits and one earned run over 5.0 innings for the loss, while Urquidy allowed two earned runs in relief.
Prior to this series, the Tigers lost two out of three against the Marlins, but did win two out of three against the Yankees before that. Detroit has lost five of their last six games and they are currently first in the AL Central standings. The Detroit pitching staff has a 3.92 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP and a .241 opponent batting average, while the offense has scored 734 runs with a .248 batting average and a .318 on base percentage this season. Riley Greene has led Detroit with 34 home runs and 108 RBIs, while Spencer Torkelson has added 29 home runs and 74 RBIs this year. The projected starting pitcher for Detroit is Tarik Skubal, who is 13-5 with a 2.26 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP over 183.1 innings pitched this season.
Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview
The Cleveland Guardians are 80-71 this year after they won game two by a score of 4-0 on Wednesday night. Cleveland scored once in the third inning, once in the sixth, and twice in the ninth for the shutout victory. The Guardians recorded seven hits and they committed one error in the game, while they were led by Naylor, who went 1-5 with two RBIs in the win. Cleveland started Williams, who allowed three hits and zero earned runs over 5.0 innings for the win, while five pitchers combined to finish the shutout.
Prior to this series, the Guardians won all three against the White Sox and three out of four against the Royals. Cleveland has won six games in a row and they are second in the AL Central standings. The Cleveland pitching staff has a 3.77 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and a .241 opponent batting average, while the offense has scored 591 runs with a .225 batting average and a .296 on base percentage this season. Jose Ramirez has led Cleveland with 28 home runs and 78 RBIs, while Kyle Manzardo has added 26 home runs and 67 RBIs this year. The projected starting pitcher for Cleveland is Tanner Bibee, who is 10-11 with a 4.44 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 170.1 innings pitched this year.
Why the Guardians will beat the Tigers
- The Guardians have won each of their last five games as road underdogs.
- The Tigers have lost five of their last six games as favorites.
- The Guardians have covered the run line in each of their last six games as underdogs.
- The Tigers have failed to cover the run line in five of their last six games.
- The Guardians have led after 5 innings in seven of their last eight games against opponents that held a winning record.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Guardians’ last seven games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Five of the Tigers’ last six games against American League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Guardians’ last five road games.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last four games between the Guardians and Tigers.
Detroit Tigers Player Prop Facts
- Spencer Torkelson has hit a home run in three of the Tigers’ last four home games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Tarik Skubal has recorded eight or more strikeouts in each of his last three home appearances against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Kerry Carpenter has recorded a hit in each of his nine previous appearances with the Tigers as favorites against the Guardians.
- Tarik Skubal has recorded a win in five of his last six home appearances against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Jake Rogers has recorded a Double in three of his last four appearances against AL Central opponents.
Cleveland Guardians Player Prop Facts
- Austin Hedges has hit a home run in two of his last three road appearances against opponents that held a winning record.
- Steven Kwan has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 13 appearances with the Guardians as road underdogs against AL Central opponents.
- Steven Kwan has recorded a Double in each of the Guardians’ last four day games against AL opponents that held a winning record.
Tigers vs Guardians Prediction
Cleveland continues to play very strong baseball and they are now just 4.5 games behind Detroit in the Central. The Guardians are 39-37 on the road this year, while the Tigers are 46-31 at home. Detroit is trending in the opposite direction, as they cling to their division lead. The Tigers are starting Skubal, who is elite, but did leave his last start with an injury. Cleveland is going with Bibee, who has allowed a total of two earned runs in his last 15.2 innings of work. Nothing about this Detroit team inspires much confidence right now, so I have to take Cleveland and the plus money here.