The Cleveland Guardians will begin a two-game series with the divisional rival Detroit Tigers. It's a battle of two hardworking cities as we share our MLB odds series and make a Guardians-Tigers prediction and pick.
Guardians-Tigers Projected Starters
Tanner Bibee vs. Jack Flaherty
Tanner Bibee (8-4) with a 3.50 ERA
Last Start: Bibee went five innings in his last outing, allowing one earned run, two, striking out four, and walking one in a no-decision against the Tigers.
2024 Road Splits: Bibee has been slightly better on the road, going 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA over 10 starts away from Progressive Field.
Jack Flaherty (7-5) with a 2.95 ERA
Last Start: Flaherty dominated in his last outing, allowing one run, none earned, on three hits, striking out six, and walking two in a no-decision against the Guardians.
2024 Home Splits: Flaherty has been slightly worse at home, going 2-2 with a 3.50 ERA over seven starts at Comerica Park.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Guardians-Tigers Odds
Cleveland Guardians: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -116
Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: -102
Over: 7 (-118)
Under: 7 (-104)
How to Watch Guardians vs. Tigers
Time: 6:41 PM ET/3:41 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports Detroit
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Guardians have some extra momentum after taking two of three from the Philadelphia Phillies this past weekend. Now, they will travel from Pennsylvania and head north to Michigan to face a divisional rival they are very familiar with. But while they lead the season series 6-5, they have struggled in Detroit, losing the four-game series 3-1. Ultimately, they need their hitting to come through to help them dominate these next two games.
Steven Kwan is the leadoff hitter but has struggled against the Tigers historically, batting .255 with 36 hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, and 20 runs over 38 games against them. Likewise, he went 4 for 16 with one home run, two RBIs, and one run last week against the Tigers. Jose Ramirez continues making history and loves facing the Tigers, batting .301 with 161 hits, 29 home runs, 114 RBIs, and 104 runs over 149 games against the Tigers. Furthermore, he went 5 for 16 with one home run, three RBIs, and one run last week against Detroit. Josh Naylor hopes to improve his record against Detroit, as he is hitting .227 with 27 hits, six home runs, 15 RBIs, and 14 runs. Also, he went 3 for 14 last week against them.
Bibee has struggled historically against the Tigers, going 0-3 with a 5.84 ERA over five games against them in his history. Additionally, he has struggled in general recently, not notching a quality start in four consecutive games. Flaherty will need to pitch well so he can get the game ball to the best bullpen in baseball. Subsequently, they have the best closer in the game, Emmanuel Chase, who has converted 33 saves in 36 chances.
The Guardians will cover the spread if they can clobber the baseball and give Bibee some runs. Then, they need him to find his strike zone and avoid making mistakes.
Why The Tigers Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Tigers just lost two of three to the Minnesota Twins in a three-game set at home. Unfortunately, this put them in a deeper hole than they already are. They will welcome the first-place Guardians into town and have almost no chance of catching them, trailing them by 12 games. Yet, they are 5 1/2 games behind the final wildcard, so there is hope, but they need their offense to improve.
The Tigers have struggled offensively this season, ranking near the bottom of the standings. Unfortunately, not much has gone right since Kerry Carpenter suffered an injury. Riley Greene is the only player who is doing much of anything. Yet, he has struggled against the Guardians throughout his career, batting just .181 with 13 hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, and seven runs. Greene also went 1 for 13 last week. Thus. he will need to do much more this time around.
Flaherty has done well against the Guardians in his career but has also struggled to get any run support. He is 1-2 with a 2.38 ERA over six starts against them. However, he has done well recently, notching two quality starts in three outings. When Flaherty finishes, he will turn it over to the 18th-ranked bullpen in baseball.
If Greene and the bats can spring to life, the Tigers will cover the spread. Then, they need a good outing from Flaherty.
Final Guardians-Tigers Prediction & Pick
The Guardians are just 6-5 against the Tigers this season. However, the Tigers are an astonishing 10-1 against the run-line record against the Guardians this season. For whatever reason, all the games have been close, and the Tigers have managed to keep things competitive. We expect more of the same in this one, especially with Bibee's struggles and Flaherty's dominance against the Guardians. The Tigers will cover the spread.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Guardians-Tigers Prediction & Pick: Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (-184)
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