Ken Blaze-Imagn Images/Sipa USA

Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians: ALDS – Game 1

The Detroit Tigers are visiting the Cleveland Guardians today at Progressive Field in Game 1 of the ALDS.

 

The Tigers beat the odds to get here

The Detroit Tigers finished the regular season third in the AL Central with an 86-76 record, including 43-38 on the road. In the wild card series, they swept the Houston Astros 2-0 on the road. The Tigers have a 3.65 ERA, a .232 batting average, a .294 on-base percentage, and 1.17 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Matt Vierling is the best player on the team with 133 hits, and 80 runs, while Riley Greene leads the team with 24 home runs.

 

Is this the season for the Guardians?

The Cleveland Guardians finished the regular season on top of the AL Central with an 92-69 record, including 50-30 at home. They finished the season losing 4 of the last 6 games. The Guardians have a 3.71 ERA, a .229 batting average, a .300 on-base percentage, and 1.20 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jose Ramirez is the best player on the team with 173 hits, 114 runs and 39 home runs.

 

Betting Trends

The Tigers are 12-3 SU in their last 15 games overall, 1-4 SU in the last 5 games against Cleveland, 9-1 SU in the last 10 games on the road and 8-2 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 6 games overall, 9 of their last 13 road games against Cleveland and 4 of the last 5 games against teams from the AL. The Guardians are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games overall, 6-1 SU in their last 7 games against teams from the AL Central and 1-4 SU in their last 5 games played on Saturday. Cleveland has played under the total run line in their last 5 games overall, 12 of their last 14 home games and 9 of the last 13 games against the Tigers.

 

Prediction and Conclusion

No one really believed that the Tigers would make any significant success this season, but here they are going deep in the playoffs. For the first time ever, the Tigers will play the division rivals Cleveland Guardians in the postseason. Cleveland was absolutely dominant all year long, and we are about to see if they are ready when it matters the most. The Guardians will start Tanner Bibee today, who is 12-8 for the season with a 3.47 ERA, 187 K, 173.2 IP, and 1.12 WHIP. The Tigers will have Tyler Holton on the mound, who is 7-2 for the season with a 2.19 ERA, 77 K, 94.1 IP, and 0.78 WHIP. The Guardians had time to recover from the regular season, and the Tigers are the team they wanted to play in this series. They had the best home record in the AL, so we go with Cleveland to start this series with a win.