Indians vs. Tigers Pick
Can Justin Verlander lead the Detroit Tigers to a series win over the Cleveland Indians when the two AL Central foes collide today?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Detroit is a slight favorite at home, as the Tigers are getting odds of -120 to win, while the Indians are getting a money line of +100 to prevail. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 9.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup this afternoon has Verlander (5-4, 4.47 ERA) pitching for Detroit to face Mike Clevinger (3-3, 3.56) of the Indians. Clevinger is coming off another solid outing, going six innings while allowing just one run. On the season, he has allowed 19 earned runs over 48 innings. He has 55 strikeouts with 24 walks and a 1.19 WHIP. Verlander got his first win in over a month in his last start when he pitched seven innings and had six strikeouts to lead the Tigers past the Royals, 6-3. On the season, he has 92 strikeouts with 44 walks and a 1.42 WHIP.
These two split a doubleheader on Saturday, with Detroit picking up a 7-4 win in the opener and Cleveland getting a 4-1 win in Game 2. The Tigers are now 36-44 overall and 21-18 at home. Cleveland is 43-37 overall and 25-16 on the road.
In the opener, Detroit posted three runs in the seventh to lead the Tigers to the win. J.D. Martinez had his 14th home run of the season while Miguel Cabrera also went long. Anibal Sanchez pitched 6.1 innings and allowed three runs but didn’t get the win due to his bullpen. Game 2 saw the Indians post four runs in the sixth inning to get the win. Carlos Carrasco got his ninth win by pitching seven innings and allowing just one run. He had seven strikeouts as well. Jose Ramirez had his 13th home run of the season and drove in two to lead the Indians in the win.
Verlander is a workhorse on the mound, but he still hasn’t been dominant this year. He has really struggled with walks and allowing multiple runs. He also has a bullpen that isn’t reliable and got a lot of work on Saturday. Clevinger doesn’t last long either, but he has allowed few runs in his brief starts. Cleveland’s bullpen is much stronger than Detroit’s and I think the game will come down to them.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: CLEVELAND INDIANS +100