David Price (5-2, 2.70 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (31-29) meet Danny Salazar (6-1, 3.50 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (28-31) in the first of a three-game division series at Comerica Park. The game gets underway at 7:08 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 12 and will air on STO and FSN-DET.
Price is 7-1 with a 2.40 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 25 walks against the Indians in his career. Yoenis Cespedes (.302, 33 Rs, 9 HRs, 33 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 2 Wednesday with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Tigers, Salazar is 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA. He gets a solid Detroit offense that’s batting .274. Michael Brantley (.304, 24 Rs, 4 HRs, 33 RBIs, 7 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Detroit, a -155 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Cleveland. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Tigers are 20-17 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -110. They have impressive records of 15-6 as the favorite and 20-11 SU within their division. The Tigers seem to play better against their division opponents, averaging 5.0 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.1. The Tigers lead the AL in hits with 9.3 per game. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in all of baseball with 46 steals.
Moving on to the away team, the Indians come into this game with a win percentage of .500 when playing as the underdog (10-10) and an overall money line of -1,061. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 5-5 SU and have an unblemished 3-0 record when they were an underdog to win. The Indians average just 6.6 strikeouts per game, one of the lowest marks in the AL. The Cleveland pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging an AL-best 9.6 strikeouts per game.
The Tigers have gotten the best of the Indians in head-to-head matchups this season, going 5-1. The Tigers will take on a right-hander (Salazar) in this game and have a 21-23 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Price will take the mound against the Indians, who have a 10-13 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the Seattle Mariners, the Indians now have three shutouts this season. The Tigers have been shut out in two games this season.
When leading after 7 innings, Detroit is 15-11, while Cleveland is 9-11.
The Tigers managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Indians who are coming in with a 12-8 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 2-20. The Indians have a 4-24 record when opponents outhit them.
Detroit ranks near the bottom of the league at 24th when it comes to home runs, hitting 46 this season. Cleveland ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 52.
Ranking first in hits, Detroit has earned 9.35 per game this season. Cleveland ranks sixth with 8.60 hits.
Ranking seventh, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.731). Detroit ranks in the top five at fifth with an OPS of .745.
When the Indians allow at least one home run, they are 19-23. When the Tigers allow one or more homers, they have an 11-20 record.
