Corey Kluber (8-13, 3.41 ERA), attemping to pick up his 200th strikeout of the season, starts for the Cleveland Indians (64-68) as they square off against Kyle Lobstein (3-5, 4.34 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (61-72) in the first of a three-game series at Comerica Park. Action begins at 7:08 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 4 and can be seen on STOh and FSDT.
Lobstein pitched 5.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out one and walking three in a 3-2 defeat to the Astros. Miguel Cabrera (.361, 56 Rs, 17 HRs, 67 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Kluber went 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs (one unearned), striking out six and walking three in an 8-3 defeat to the Angels in his most recent start. Jason Kipnis (.317, 76 Rs, 7 HRs, 45 RBIs, 11 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 Wednesday with one run.
Cleveland takes on Detroit as a -160 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Tigers have recorded an overall money line of -1,074 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 27-44. Detroit has recorded a disappointing 1-8 record as the underdog over its last 10 games. Detroit’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 8.3 runs per game, well above its season average of 5.0.
In games where it is the favorite, Cleveland has a 44-40 record and an overall money line of -1,495. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games playing as the favorite, and have a 7-3 SU record over the same span. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with 3.4 per game, ranking third in the AL. Cleveland’s pitching staff has set the standard for its league, with an AL-low 3.41 ERA on the road. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Indians are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.19 for the season. The Indians have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 8.9 strikeouts per game.
The Tigers have controlled the season series, 9-3. The Tigers have a 43-57 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kluber takes the mound. Lobstein (RHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 47-41 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 5 games.
Detroit is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit’s last 7 games at home.
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 5 games when playing Cleveland.
Detroit is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing Cleveland.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Detroit’s last 9 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
When leading after 7 innings, Cleveland is 20-22, while Detroit is 28-32.
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 Tigers have a 25-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 51-17. The Indians have a 54-11 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 22nd in runs, Cleveland has earned 538 this season. Detroit ranks eighth with 581 runs.
Ranking 17th, Detroit is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 369 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top five at fifth with 447.
When the Tigers hit at least one home run, they are 45-34. When the Indians hit at least one homer, they have a 47-27 record.
