The Detroit Tigers will pay a visit to Cleveland to face off against their AL Central foe Indians at Progressive Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET and SportsTime Ohio will be airing the action.
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians Odds
Vegas has listed Cleveland (-105) as the underdog to Detroit (-115). The total stands at eight runs and bettors can wager on the over for -125 and the under for +105. Bettors can also wager on the games runline with the odds sitting at Tigers +1.5 runs (+190) and Indians -1.5 runs (-210).
The Tigers have gone 4-4 SU this year and are 3-4 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 0.9 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season and 1.2 units ATS. The Indians are 4-5 SU and 1-7 ATS. The teams lost 4.9 units for moneyline bettors and 7.0 units ATS.
Indians games have had an over/under record of 3-5 so far in 2018. Detroit has an over/under record of 3-4.
The Tigers have lost 0.9 units and are 3-4 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in three of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Indians have netted 0.5 units and are 0-3 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in one of those games, compared to two that’ve gone under.
Left-hander Francisco Liriano (1-0, 1.35 ERA) will get the start for Detroit. Liriano started 18 games last year while finishing the season 6-7 overall with a 5.66 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP.
The Indians are turning to righty Corey Kluber (0-1, 2.40 ERA), who struck out 265 hitters over 203 innings last year (29 starts), while finishing the season 18-4 overall with a 2.25 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. He recorded five starts against the Tigers a year ago and compiled a 3-1 record with a 3.73 ERA and 35 strikeouts.
As a unit, Cleveland’s pitching staff has yielded 3.6 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.74 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 3.12, a WHIP of 1.00 and a K/9 of 9.3. In three divisional games, Indians starters have an ERA of 1.69 and the bullpens ERA is 0.00.
The Cleveland offense has produced 3.0 runs per contest, including 2.0 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .133/.227/.188 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Indians offense has been led by Edwin Encarnacion and Lonnie Chisenhall. Encarnacion is slashing .194/.306/.484 with six hits, four RBIs and four runs scored, while Chisenhall’s line is .235/.381/.294 with four hits, zero RBIs and three runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Detroit’s pitchers have allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 6.15 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.98, along with a WHIP of 1.15.
The Tigers offense has slashed .230/.324/.338 on its way to 4.8 runs scored per game in 2018, including over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Detroit’s offense has been led by outfielder Nicholas Castellanos and first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Castellanos is slashing .324/.395/.500 with 11 hits, three RBIs and eight runs scored, while Cabrera is slashing .276/.353/.483 with eight hits, nine RBIs and four runs scored.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .272/.320/.490, Castellanos did not seem to enjoy batting against righty pitching on the road last season, maintaining a slash line of .212/.264/.360 across 239 such plate appearances.
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- The Indians went 13-6 SU against the Tigers last season.
- The Tigers bullpen managed 5.72 ERA against the Indians last year.
