Justin Verlander (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (32-29) meet Carlos Carrasco (7-5, 4.35 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (28-32) in the second of a three-game division series at Comerica Park. The Tigers won the last game 4-0 and Detroit leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 4:08 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 13 and will air on STO and FSN-DET.
Verlander is 18-16 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.28 WHIP against the Indians in his career. Miguel Cabrera (.330, 33 Rs, 13 HRs, 43 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run, one home run, and four RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Tigers, Carrasco is 2-6 with a 7.20 ERA. He gets a strong Detroit offense that’s batting .274. Michael Brantley (.308, 24 Rs, 4 HRs, 33 RBIs, 7 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 yesterday.
Detroit is a -123 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Tigers are 20-17 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -110. They have performed well against their division to earn an SU record of 20-11 and a 15-6 record when they were the favorite. Detroit has averaged 5.0 runs per game during divisional play, higher than its season average of 4.1. The Tigers lead the AL in hits with 9.3 per game. The Tigers are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 47 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball.
On the other side, the Indians have a record of 10-10 when they are the underdog and are -961 overall with the money line. Over the last 10 games, they were unbeaten as the underdog with a perfect 2-0 record and 5-5 SU. The Indians average just 6.7 strikeouts per game, one of the lowest marks in the AL. Switching gears to Cleveland’s pitching staff, they have some of the most overpowering arms in baseball with an AL-high 9.5 strikeouts per game.
The Tigers had the upper hand against the Indians in their previous seven games this season, earning a 6-1 record. The Tigers will take on a right-hander (Carrasco) in this game and have a 21-23 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Verlander will take the mound against the Indians, who have a 17-18 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
Detroit earned its seventh shutout of the season in its last game. Cleveland has been shut out three times this season.
When the Tigers play into extra innings, they have a 3-2 record. The Indians are 1-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Indians are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Tigers have a 7-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 28-7. The Indians have a 23-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Detroit and Cleveland both rank in the top half of the league in runs. Detroit sits at 13th with 252 runs this season and Cleveland ranks 12th with 253.
Ranking first in walks, Cleveland has earned 224 this season. Detroit ranks eighth with 189 walks.
When the Tigers hit at least one home run, they are 22-9, well-matched with the Indians who are 22-14 when hitting one or more homers.
