In the first of a three-game series between the Cleveland Indians (32-36) and the Detroit Tigers (32-36) at Progressive Field, Trevor Bauer (6-3, 3.22 ERA) and Kyle Ryan (1-1, 3.26 ERA) take the mound. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 22 and will air on FSN-DET and STO.
Bauer is 2-0 with a 4.34 ERA against the Tigers in his career, and faces a strong Detroit offense that’s hitting .273 on the year. Jason Kipnis (.345, 46 Rs, 5 HRs, 28 RBIs, 10 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. The Tigers were unsuccessful the last time Ryan pitched. He struggled, going, going 6.1 innings, allowing four runs, striking out four and walking one in a 5-2 loss to the Reds. Miguel Cabrera (.346, 40 Rs, 15 HRs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well for the Tigers, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs.
Cleveland, a -139 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Detroit. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is eight runs. When playing as the favorite, the Indians have a 20-25 record and overall money line at -1,356. They have not performed well against their division, earning an SU record of 13-20 and a 7-13 record when they were the favorite. Cleveland has been struggling as of late. In the last 10 games, Cleveland has only averaged 2.7 runs per game compared to the 4.0 they’ve averaged on the season. Don’t expect the Cleveland hitters to swing wildly. They average only 6.8 strikeouts per game. As for the pitching staff, an area where the Indians are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average an AL-best 9.4 K’s per game.
Across the field, the Tigers have a record of 12-16 when they are the underdog and are -316 overall with the money line. They have played poorly as the underdog as of late. They managed a 1-5 record when playing as the underdog and an SU record of 4-6. When it comes to scoring runs, the Tigers have performed much better than normal against teams from the AL Central. During those games, they averaged five runs per game, above their 4.1 season average. One of the top road hitting teams in the AL are the Tigers, who average 9.1 hits in games away from home. The Tigers have racked up 52 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. Detroit’s pitching staff tends to perform well when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 3.8 runs per game against teams from the AL Central, lower than their season average of 4.3.
The Tigers have gotten the best of the Indians in head-to-head matchups this season, going 7-2. The Indians will take on a left-hander (Ryan) in this game and have an 11-15 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Tigers will be the right-hander Bauer. They sport a 24-28 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Indians now have five shutouts this season. The Tigers have been shut out in two games this season.
When the Tigers play into extra innings, they have a 3-3 record. The Indians are 1-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Indians have a 4-13 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 31-8. The Indians have a 25-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 23rd, Cleveland is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 272 this season. Detroit ranks in the top half at 11th with 293.
Cleveland ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 253 this season. Detroit ranks in the top half at 12th with 210.
The Indians are 24-15 when they hit at least one home run. The Tigers perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 25-11 record.
