In the second of a four-game series between the Cleveland Indians (69-70) and the Detroit Tigers (64-76) at Progressive Field, Cody Anderson (3-3, 3.72 ERA) and Justin Verlander (3-7, 3.43 ERA) get the start. The Indians won the last game 7-5 and Cleveland leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 11 and will air on STOh and FSDT.
In his most recent outing, Anderson pitched 7.0 innings, giving up zero runs, striking out three and walking two in a 4-0 victory over the Tigers. Michael Brantley (.319, 65 Rs, 15 HRs, 81 RBIs, 14 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 5 with two runs, two home runs, and three RBIs. The Tigers were unsuccessful the last time Verlander pitched. He went 7.0 innings, allowing three runs, striking out four and walking two in a 4-0 loss to the Indians. J.D. Martinez (.280, 81 Rs, 36 HRs, 91 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Cleveland is favored by a slight -111 margin in its matchup against Detroit. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at eight runs. When playing as the favorite, the Indians have a 45-42 record and overall money line at -1,283. They have disappointing records of 13-24 as the favorite and 22-33 SU within their division. The Indians rank fifth in the AL in hits at home with 9.2 per game. The Indians typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.4 walks per game. Whenever an AL Central opponent shows up on the calendar, the Indians seem to struggle with pitching. They allow an average of 4.1 runs per game, but allow 4.6 against teams from their own division. The Indians don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking fourth in the league with a 1.19 WHIP. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the AL with 8.8 strikeouts per game.
On the other side, the Tigers have a subpar record of 30-46 when they are the underdog and are -1,051 overall with the money line. Against divisional opponents, they are 32-24 SU, but have a 12-16 record when they were an underdog to win. They sport the third-ranked offense in the AL, averaging four runs per game. The top road hitting team in the AL are the Tigers, who average 9.4 hits in games away from home. Detroit’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 7.2 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 5.1.
The Tigers have mostly come out on top against the Indians in their previous 16 games this season, earning a 10-6 record. The Indians will take on a right-hander (Verlander) in this game and have a 49-42 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Anderson will take the mound against the Tigers, who have a 45-60 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Cleveland is 21-23, while Detroit is 29-34.
The Tigers managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Indians who are heading in with a 33-22 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 8-53. The Indians have a 10-52 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 21st in home runs, Cleveland has hit 120 this season. Detroit ranks 14th with 140 home runs.
Detroit tops the league in hits with 9.40 per game this season. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 8.64.
Ranking 14th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.724). Detroit ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .755.
The Tigers are 31-60 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Indians are 40-57 when they allow at least one homer.
