Indians vs. Tigers Pick
Can the Cleveland Indians dominate the host Detroit Tigers and win on the money line in the second game of a doubleheader Friday night? First pitch is at 7:05PM EST.
The Indians are a -166 favorite to win on the moneyline according to sports book Bovada.lv. The Tigers are a +143 underdog, while the over-under is set at 9. Cleveland is -105 to win on the -1.5 run line, while Detroit is -115 on the +1.5 run line.
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Cleveland will put Mike Clevenger (7-5, 3.72) on the mound for the back end of the doubleheader, while Detroit will turn to Buck Farmer (3-1, 6.17). Clevenger has a 1.31 WHIP with 108 strikeouts over 94 1/3 innings. He threw six shutout innings in his last start, allowing four hits while striking out nine and walking two in a 4-0 home win over the Royals. Farmer has a 1.29 WHIP with 25 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings in five starts. He made his first MLB start in over two months August 26 as he gave up three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-3 win at the White Sox.
The Indians enter the day with a 76-56 record and is 40-27 on the road, while the Tigers are 58-74 and 31-32 at home. The two teams have split the last 10 matchups, while the over-under is 2-6-2.
Coming into the doubleheader, Cleveland has won seven in a row including a three-game sweep at the Yankees. The Indians won the series finale 9-4 Wednesday as Ryan Merritt allowed one earned run over 5 1/3 innings to get the win. Edwin Encarnacion was 2-fo4-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs plus a walk. Francisco Lindor went 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs. Carlos Santana was 3-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI. Austin Jackson finished 2-fo4-4 with a double, a walk, a run and an RBI. Detroit won two out of three at Colorado including Wednesday’s 6-2 victory. The recently traded Justin Verlander earned his final win as a Tiger, giving up one earned run and striking out nine over six innings. Nicholas Castellanos keyed the offense as he was 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and two runs. Jose Iglesias finished 3-for-3 with a walk. James McCann added a three-run homer and scored twice.
Detroit cleared a lot of salary Thursday as it dealt both Justin Upton and Verlander for prospects in separate deals. The franchise is entering a rebuild stage, which will leave veteran holdovers on the current roster in a state of limbo as Detroit is likely in store for a few poor seasons ahead. As for Friday’s second game of the doubleheader, Clevenger is facing a lineup depleted of talent that will scare any pitcher. Miguel Cabrera did that in the past, but now he is a shell of his former self. The Indians lineup is cooking and taking them on the run line makes sense.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: CLEVELAND INDIANS RL -105