The Detroit Tigers will be squaring off against their divisional rival Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET and SportsTime Ohio is in line to showcase the matchup.
Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians Odds
Detroit (+160) is hosting this game as the underdog against Cleveland (-170) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this night game at 7.5 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at -135 for the Tigers +1.5 runs and +115 for the Indians -1.5.
The Indians are 7-5 SU and 3-8 ATS. They’ve lost 1.9 units for moneyline bettors and 6.0 units against the spread (ATS). Cleveland has covered the spread only twice in its last seven games and the under has hit in six of those seven. The Tigers have gone 4-7 SU this year and are 5-5 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 1.4 units for moneyline bettors in this young season and 0.2 units ATS. Detroit’s covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in six of those seven.
Cleveland games have a 3-8 over/under record so far in 2018. Detroit has an over/under record of 3-7.
The Tigers have lost 1.4 units and are 5-5 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in three of those games, compared to seven that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Indians have lost 4.4 units and are 2-4 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in two of those games, as opposed to four which went under the total.
Michael Fulmer (1-1, 0.68 ERA) will get the start for the visiting Tigers. The right-handed Fulmer started 25 games last year and finished the season 10-12 overall with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
The Indians have tabbed righty Trevor Bauer (0-1, 2.08 ERA) as their starter. Bauer recorded 196 strikeouts over 176 innings last year with only 60 walks, while finishing the season 17-9 overall with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He recorded two starts against Detroit a year ago and assembled a 0-2 record with a 13.00 ERA and nine strikeouts.
As a unit, Cleveland’s pitching staff has yielded 2.8 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have a 2.79 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 2.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 9.3 K/9. In six games against AL Central foes, Indians starters have an ERA of 1.04 and the bullpen’s ERA is 0.84.
The Cleveland offense has produced 3.0 runs per outing, including 2.5 per game against divisional foes and 2.4 per game over its last five. The team has hit .189/.268/.297 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Indians’ offense has been led by outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall and Tyler Naquin. Chisenhall is slashing .235/.381/.294 with four hits, zero RBIs and three runs scored, and Naquin’s line is .235/.316/.412 with four hits and three RBIs.
Chisenhall didn’t perform very well against right-handed pitching at home last year, slashing .250/.286/.471 across 112 such plate appearances (his total season line was .288/.360/.521).
In the other dugout, Detroit’s pitching staff allowed 3.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 2.90 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 5.95 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.29, along with a WHIP of 1.05.
The Tigers offense has slashed .204/.292/.305 on its way to 3.6 runs scored per game in 2018, including over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Nicholas Castellanos and JaCoby Jones have led Detroit’s hitters. Castellanos is hitting .273/.347/.409 with 12 hits, three RBIs and eight runs scored, while Jones is slashing .300/.500/.300 with three hits and zero RBIs.
Compared to his total season slash line of .272/.320/.490, Castellanos did not do as well hitting against righties on the road last year, putting up a slash line of .212/.264/.360 across 239 such plate appearances.
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – UNDER
Notes
Betting Trends
Cleveland has posted 13.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 13.6 over its last five.
The Tigers have hit three home runs in their last 10 games. The Indians have hit 10 over their last 10.
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