Josh Tomlin (1-1, 2.02 ERA) and Wily Peralta (4-7, 4.48 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a two-game series between the Cleveland Indians (58-66) and the Milwaukee Brewers (53-72) at Progressive Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 25 and can be seen on STOh and FSWI.
Tomlin pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out six and walking two in a 3-2 win over the Yankees. Jason Kipnis (.320, 68 Rs, 6 HRs, 39 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Peralta went 5.0 innings, surrendering six runs, striking out two and walking three in an 8-7 win over the Marlins in his most recent start. Ryan Braun (.276, 72 Rs, 22 HRs, 73 RBIs, 18 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 Sunday.
Cleveland is a -146 favorite against Milwaukee and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Indians have an overall money line of -1,899 and a record as the favorite of 39-40. In interleague play, they have had a solid season, earning 6-3 and 10-7 records as the favorite and SU respectively. Cleveland leads the whole AL in walks, earning an average of 3.4 per game. Turning to the pitchers, the Indians are the fifth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Indians, who lead the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.9.
Over in the other dugout, Milwaukee is coming in with an overall money line of -1,895 and a disappointing record of 29-46 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-3 record, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, the Brewers have really picked up the pace in interleague games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.0 runs per game by averaging 4.6 in those contests.
The Indians have a 43-39 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Peralta takes the mound. Tomlin (RHP) will be on the hill against the Brewers, who have a 38-58 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
Having scored one run in their last game, the Indians are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Brewers have a 20-2 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 8-49. The Brewers have a 10-55 record when opponents outhit them.
Cleveland ranks near the bottom of the league at 25th when it comes to home runs, hitting 101 this season. Milwaukee ranks in the bottom half at 19th with 111.
Cleveland and Milwaukee both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Cleveland sits at ninth with 8.60 hits per game and Milwaukee ranks 10th with 8.45.
Ranking 22nd, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.699). Cleveland ranks in the top half at 15th with an OPS of .715.
When the Brewers allow at least one home run, they are 31-50, well-matched with the Indians who are 35-54 when allowing at least one homer.
