Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Cleveland Guardians vs Detroit Tigers: An AL Central battle

The Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers are opening a three-game series tonight at Comerica Park.

The Guardians are targeting the top of the AL

The Cleveland Guardians are on top of the AL Central with a 56-32 record, including 26-11 on the road. The Guardians are coming off back-to-back wins against the San Francisco Giants with the same score, 5-4. The Guardians have a 3.69 ERA, a .230 batting average, a .302 on-base percentage, and 1.21 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jose Ramirez is the best player on the team with 93 hits, 68 runs and 23 home runs.

The Tigers have picked up their form

The Detroit Tigers are fourth in the AL Central with a 42-48 record, including 19-22 at home. The Tigers are coming off weeping the series against the Cincinnati Reds on the road. The Tigers have a 3.98 ERA, a .240 batting average, a .301 on-base percentage, and 1.22 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Riley Greene is the best player on the team with 85 hits, 53 runs, and 17 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Tigers are 4-1 SU in their last five games overall, 2-5 SU in their last 7 games against teams from the AL and 3-7 SU in their last 10 games against teams from the AL Central. Detroit has played under the total run line in 5 of their last 7 home games, in 11 of their last 16 games against the Guardians and in 6 of the last 8 home games against Cleveland. The Guardians are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games overall, 1-4 SU in their last 5 games on the road and 4-2 SU in their last 6 games played in July. Cleveland has played over the total run line in 5 of their last 6 games overall and 4 of their last 6 games against teams from the AL.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Detroit Tigers are back home after playing the last nine games on the road. They have boosted their confidence after sweeping the series in Cincinnati, but the series against the Guardians will be a real test. Cleveland has a chance to take over the lead in the AL if they dominate the Tigers, and they have every reason to believe that they can do that. Tonight, the Guardians will give a shot to Gavin Williams, who is 0-1 for the season with an 11.25 ERA, 2 K, 4 IP, and 2.25 WHIP. The Tigers will also go with a pitcher they did not use a lot this season, as Keider Montero is 1-2 for the season with a 6.60 ERA, 15 K, 15 IP, and 1.40 WHIP. Neither pitcher will be able to have control of the game, so we expect this game to go over 8.5 runs in total, just like their last two matchups.