Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians Betting Preview
Friday night will feature an A.L. Central showdown as the Detroit Tigers (3-3) take on the Cleveland Indians (2-3). The Indians will host this one at Progressive Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.
The pitching matchup will feature Julio Teheran (1-0, 1.80 ERA) of the Tigers going against Zach Plesac (0-1, 3.00 ERA) of the Indians. This is actually a pitching rematch of the game last Saturday, one that the Tigers won 5-2.
Both teams had an off day on Thursday before starting this three-game set.
In their last game, Detroit lost to the Minnesota Twins, 3-2. In the loss, catcher Wilson Ramos hit his second home run of the year, and starter Matthew Boyd went seven innings, allowing three runs and striking out eight.
The Indians were able to pick up a win in their last game against the Royals, 4-2. Jose Ramirez hit two home runs while Shane Bieber was masterful, striking out 12 in just over six innings of work.
Cleveland is the favorite playing at home. They are -225 to win while the Tigers’ moneyline is +188. The runline features Detroit +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is nine.
By The Numbers
Offensively, both of these teams are in the bottom third of the league. The Tigers rank 20th in scoring averaging 3.83 runs per game. The Indians fall to 22nd averaging 3.40 runs.
Defensively, it is Cleveland who holds the advantage. They rank 6th in runs allowed per game at just 3.20. The Tigers rank 24th, allowing an average of 5.67 runs per game to opponents.
Tigers Look For Continued Success Over Indians
For a team expected to finish dead last in the division, the Tigers could not have asked for much better of a start as they took two of three from the division-rival Indians. After hitting a speed bump in their last series against the Twins, the Tigers hope to keep their success going against Cleveland.
Another strong start from Julio Teheran could go a long way in making that happen. In his first start, against the Indians, Teheran went five innings allowing just four hits, one run, and striking out three. He did walk three batters, but still escaped with the win.
Offensively, rookie Akil Baddoo has not just been one of the best hitters on the Tigers but one of the best hitters in the league thus far. In just 11 at bats, he is hitting .455/.455/1.182 with two home runs and seven runs batted in.
Cleveland Trying To Get Back On Track
Like last season, the Cleveland Indians have shown early on that their pitching will keep them in most games, but it will be their offense that has to show up if they want to win.
In his last game, Zach Plesac fell victim to this. He pitched well, going six innings and allowing just two runs while striking out four. While his outing was good enough for a quality start, the lack of offense also made it good enough for a loss.
Seeing Jose Ramirez have a big game in his Wednesday is a good start to rekindling the offense. Ramirez will be expected to lead the offense and thus far has hit .350/.381/.700 with two home runs and four runs batted in.
One player to keep an eye on in this one is Cesar Hernandez. In his career, he has faced Tigers’ pitcher Julio Teheran 30 times and has four home runs against him. Franmil Reyes also has a couple of home runs against the righty.
Taking Cleveland To Win
While the Tigers played well in the opening series against the Indians, Cleveland still seemingly has the better team all the way around. The offense is a concern for the Indians, but their pitching should keep them in most games.
Look for Zach Plesac to get some revenge and take the rematch against Julio Teheran. The smart bet is taking the Indians at -225.
