Carlos Carrasco (8-6, 4.35 ERA) and Justin Verlander (0-1, 6.17 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Cleveland Indians (32-38) and the Detroit Tigers (37-34) at Progressive Field. The Tigers won the last game 7-3 and Detroit leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 12:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jun. 24 and can be seen on FSN-DET and STO.
Carrasco is 3-6 with a 6.93 ERA in his appearances against the Tigers, and goes up against a quality Detroit offense which is batting .274 this season. Jason Kipnis (.354, 47 Rs, 5 HRs, 31 RBIs, 10 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 4 for 5 with one RBI. Against the Indians, Verlander is 18-16 with a 4.41 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 281 strikeouts. Miguel Cabrera (.351, 42 Rs, 15 HRs, 52 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Tigers, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run.
Cleveland is a -133 favorite against Detroit and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Indians have an overall money line of -1,394 and a record as the favorite of 21-26. Cleveland has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 7-14 and 13-21 as the favorite and SU respectively. The Indians have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.4 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.0 runs per game. Cleveland’s batters do not strike out very often, with only 6.7 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Indians, who lead the AL in strikeouts per game with 9.3.
In games where it is the underdog, Detroit has a 14-16 record and an overall money line of -50. They have been playing solid baseball as the underdog with a 7-6 record against fellow AL Central members, and a 23-12 record SU. Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is fourth in the AL. The Tigers are tough outs for opponents, leading the AL with 9.4 hits per game. The Tigers are an excellent base stealing team with 52 stolen bases, ranking fifth in the MLB. The Tigers average 4.3 runs allowed per game, but does better whenever another team from the AL Central is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average down to 3.9 against division foes.
The Tigers have controlled the season series, 9-2. The Indians have a 21-21 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Verlander takes the mound. Carrasco (RHP) will be on the hill against the Tigers, who have a 26-28 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
Cleveland has won 48% (11-12) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Detroit has won 55% (17-14) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Cleveland batters brought in a solid 12 hits last game. Detroit has a record of 3-14 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
It looks like the Tigers have a slight leg up on the Indians, as the Tigers have won their last three games while the Indians have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 32-8. The Indians have a 25-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 21st, Cleveland is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 280 this season. Detroit ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 308.
Cleveland ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 255 this season. Detroit ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 218.
When the Indians hit at least one home run, they are 24-16, well-matched with the Tigers who are 27-11 when hitting one or more homers.
