Alfredo Simon (6-3, 2.76 ERA) and Corey Kluber (3-7, 3.53 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Detroit Tigers (32-30) and the Cleveland Indians (29-32) at Comerica Park. The Indians won the last game 5-4 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 1:08 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 14 and can be seen on STO and FSN-DET.
Simon is 3-2 with a 4.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts against the Indians. Miguel Cabrera (.333, 33 Rs, 13 HRs, 44 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. Kluber is 2-5 with a 4.80 ERA against the Tigers in his career. He is up against a quality Detroit offense that’s batting .275. Jason Kipnis (.331, 41 Rs, 5 HRs, 28 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Cleveland takes on Detroit as a -127 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Tigers have an overall money line of -10 and a record as the underdog of 11-12. Detroit has recorded a disappointing 1-3 record as the underdog over its last 10 games. The Tigers have seen an uptick in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 5.0 runs per game. They average 4.1 runs per game on the season. The Tigers lead the AL in hits with a phenomenal 9.3 per game. Detroit is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 48 bases.
In games where it is the favorite, Cleveland has a 18-21 record and an overall money line of -1,063. They have played poorly as the favorite with a 6-12 record against teams in their division, and a 4-6 record SU. Offensively, the Indians have really sputtered in the last 10 games. They have decreased their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 2.8 during that stretch. Cleveland is excellent at not striking out with just 6.7 per game, ranking fourth in the AL. The Indians have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 9.5 strikeouts per game.
The Tigers have controlled the season series, 6-2. The Tigers have a 22-23 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kluber takes the mound. Simon (RHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 17-18 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Indians won by a margin of one run. The Tigers are 11-10 in one-run games. The Indians have a 6-7 record in close games.
When the Tigers play into extra innings, they have a 3-2 record. The Indians are 1-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Indians are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Tigers have a 12-17 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 28-8. The Indians have a 23-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Detroit and Cleveland both rank in the top half of the league in runs. Detroit sits at 14th with 256 runs this season and Cleveland ranks 13th with 258.
Ranking first in walks, Cleveland has earned 229 this season. Detroit ranks 12th with 191 walks.
When the Tigers hit at least one home run, they are 22-10, well-matched with the Indians who are 23-14 when hitting one or more homers.
