Game 1 between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians was sure filled with drama. Defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal absolutely shoved on the mound, delivering the road win for the sixth-seed Tigers over the division rival Guardians, but it wasn’t without some nail-biting. Detroit’s bullpen let the tying run get to third in the ninth inning, and they almost blew Skubal’s win.
Now it’s a do-or-die home game for the Guardians, and the stakes are as high as they get. The Guardians open as -126 Moneyline favorites on the DraftKings Sportsbook. The Tigers are priced as +103 underdogs, while the total is set at 6.5 runs. Let’s get into a preview, prediction, and best bet for Game 2 between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians.
Guardians vs. Tigers prediction, preview
Detroit will send All-Star Casey Mize to the mound in the hopes of putting this series to bed. But it’s anyone’s guess what they will get out of him.
Before the All-Star Game, Mize had a 3.15 ERA and was fully deserving of his accolade. But as the innings piled up, his results became mixed. Mize pitched to a 4.92 ERA after the Midsummer Classic, and though his FIP indicates some bad luck, his hard contact rates did go up. The problem was consistently giving something up. Mize had no scoreless outings after the break. In the first half of the year, Mize allowed one or fewer earned runs eight times.
The good news for Detroit is that they have a distinct bullpen advantage. After Skubal pitched 7.2 innings, closer Will Vest finished off the last four outs. That leaves the rest of their bullpen rested and ready to go. Should Mize run into any trouble, they won’t have any issue with an early hook.
Cleveland will need Tanner Bibee to get them on track this afternoon. They’ll feel good about his chances. Here are his last three regular-season starts: a complete-game shutout against the White Sox, six one-run innings against the Tigers, and six one-run innings against the Tigers yet again. He may not be one of their top-line guys, but he’s a good candidate to get the job done. After they used a couple of their big arms on Tuesday, he has to, or else the season is in serious jeopardy.
Guardians vs. Tigers pick, best bet
My gut tells me that the Guardians will prolong the season on Wednesday, but I don’t trust them enough to take the Moneyline. One thing is for sure — runs are always at a premium when these two teams meet in the playoffs. Count on another bunting contest in Game 2
