Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians Preview
Thursday’s matchup between the Guardians and Tigers is set to get started at 1:10 PM ET from Comerica Park in Detroit. Cleveland is 57-34 this season, while the Tigers are 44-49. Detroit is favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -132 compared to the Guardians at +112.
The over/under line is currently 8 runs, and BSGL will be televising this game. Spencer Howard is starting for the Guardians, while Jack Flaherty is on the mound for the Tigers. Flaherty is 8-4 this season with a 3.24 ERA.
Check out BetCoco for Detroit Tigers – Cleveland Guardians odds
Detroit Tigers Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Guardians are 2-3. This includes going 1-4 vs. the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Tigers have a 4-1 (SU) record, along with a 4-1 record in their last five home contests.
- As the favorite, the Tigers are 5-5 over their last ten games, including going 3-7 vs. the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Guardians have a 6-4 straight-up record and a 7-3 record vs. the runline.
Detroit rallied for three runs in the 8th inning in the most recent game of this Tigers vs. Guardians series. The Tigers scored two runs in the 1st inning but didn’t score another run until putting up three in the 8th, picking up a 5-4 win. Heading into the game, the Tigers were at +123 on the money line.
Reese Olson started for the Tigers and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up three earned runs. He finished the game with just three strikeouts and allowed one home run. Jason Foley got the save. Tanner Bibee had a rough outing for the Guardians, taking the loss after going seven innings and giving up four earned runs.
Matt Vierling and Andy Ibanez each homered for the Tigers, while Riley Greene scored two runs and drove in three runs while going 2/4. Daniel Schneemann hit a home run for the Guardians, going 1/2.
Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction
Cleveland is 57-34 overall this season, and they lead the AL Central by five games over the Twins. The Guardians will be on the road today to take on the Tigers. So far, they are 15-12 in divisional games.
This season, the Guardians have been really good at home, going 30-11. On the road, they are 27-23 heading into today’s game. For the year, they have been really good in day games, going 24-10.
Heading into today’s game, the Guardians have an overall series record of 20-7-2, and they have won two straight series. As the road underdog, the Guardians are 13-13 this season, and they are 16-14 overall as the underdog. As for their losing streak underdog mark, it is currently at three games.
The Guardians have been a solid run line bet this season, with a 47-44 record. They have been especially good as the underdog, going 20-10 against the run line in those games. Their average run margin in wins is +3.4, while their average run margin in losses is -2.9.
The Cleveland Guardians are on the road against the Detroit Tigers today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The Guardians’ games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 46-39. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 7-7-2. Overall, 50.5% of their games have had over/under lines set at over 8 runs, and their current over streak is at 2 games.
Cleveland is sending Spencer Howard to the mound today vs. the Tigers, and he comes in with a record of 1-1 and ERA of 5.62. So far, he has made two starts and seven total appearances. In his last outing, Howard came out of the bullpen and went 2 2/3 innings, giving up six hits, six earned runs, and two homers. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had gone 4 2/3 innings without giving up a run. Howard’s ERA at home is 8.92, compared to 7.93 on the road.
As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.9 runs per game, which is 6th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.1 runs per game. Overall, they have the league’s 8th best home run total and are batting a collective .246, which is 9th in the league. One area where they have struggled is their batting average on balls in play, as their team BABIP is just 16th in the league.
Josh Naylor and Jose Ramirez have been the team’s top power hitters this season, with Ramirez’s 23 homers leading the team and Naylor’s 22 homers coming in as the 2nd most on the team. Naylor has also been hot of late, batting .333 over his last seven games with two homers and nine RBIs. Steven Kwan has also been swinging a hot bat, batting .367 over the same stretch.
Detroit is 44-49 overall and 4th in the AL Central, trailing the Guardians by 14 games. So far, they have gone 15-13 in divisional matchups. The Tigers have gone 7-3 across their last 10 games and have taken two of the first three games in this series vs. the Guardians.
At home, the Tigers are 21-23 this season compared to a 23-26 mark on the road. As the favorite, Detroit has gone 20-19 and 24-30 as the underdog. They are 14-14 as the home favorite this year.
When it comes to betting the run line on the Tigers, it’s been a mixed bag. Overall, they are 43-50 against the run line, but they have been much better on the road, going 26-23. Their average run margin is -0.2, but they have been outscored by 0.4 runs per game at home. They are 17-27 against the run line at home, but they have covered in three straight games at Comerica Park.
The Detroit Tigers have a combined run average of 8.5 runs per game this season, but their over/under record is 49-41. They have gone over the total in two straight games and have a 37.6% of their games with an over/under line of 8 runs.
Through 15 starts, Jack Flaherty has a record of 5-5 and an ERA of 3.24 for the Tigers. He has made nine quality starts this year and is coming off a rough outing vs. the Angels, where he took the loss. In that start, Flaherty gave up five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had won three straight starts. Flaherty’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.00, and opponents are batting .219 vs. the right-hander this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 11.63 strikeouts and just 1.42 walks.
Heading into today’s game, the Tigers are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. This is the same number of runs they are averaging at home and on the road. As a team, they are batting .231, and their team on-base percentage of .295 is 18th in the league. Detroit’s team OPS of .677 is also 21st in the MLB.
Riley Greene has been the Tigers’ top offensive player this season, as he is batting .260 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs. He is also on a nice stretch of games, going 11/26 in his last seven games with four homers and eight RBIs. Matt Vierling is also having a good season at the plate, with 12 homers and 38 RBIs, but he is batting just .246.
Our pick for this Guardians vs. Tigers matchup is to take the Guardians on the money line, with the payout sitting at +112. We actually have the Guardians winning this one by a score of 6-4, giving you some room to take the over as well, as the line is sitting at eight runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Spencer Howard finishing with seven strikeouts, and for Jack Flaherty, we have him picking up six K’s. Flaherty has a good chance to pick up the win, but with the payout for the Tigers sitting at -132, we prefer to take the Guardians and Howard at +112.
Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Tips
- We like the Guardians on the moneyline (+112)
- The Guardians are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 10 runs, we like the over
Detroit Tigers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Flaherty | Probable | Back |
| Casey Mize | Out | Hamstring |
| Parker Meadows | Out | Hamstring |
| Kerry Carpenter | Out | Back |
| Sawyer Gipson-Long | Out | Elbow |
Cleveland Guardians Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Boyd | Out | Elbow |
| Shane Bieber | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Stephan | Out | Elbow |
| James Karinchak | Out | Shoulder |
| Will Brennan | Out | Oblique |
