Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians August 17 Betting Odds & Analysis

The Cleveland Guardians have had a disappointing start to their four-game series against the Detroit Tigers. 

They won the first game of the series but have followed that up with two straight losses that could be devastating in the American League Central race. On Wednesday, the Guardians face the Tigers for the final game of their four-game set and their final game against the Tigers for the season.

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Detroit Tigers

Despite being at the bottom of the AL Central standings, the Detroit Tigers have played very well against the Cleveland Guardians this week. They lost the first game of this series by a 4-1 margin but have outscored the Guardians 11-8 since then.

Now, they have a chance to win this series with a win and win the season series against the Guardians with a victory as well.

So far this season, the Tigers and Guardians have played 18 games against one another and have split them 9-9. A win for the Tigers here would give them the 10-9 win in the season series.

While that would not mean anything in terms of placement in the standings or anything else of value, the Tigers would be able to take something positive from this season, having won the season series against a contender in their division.

Cleveland Guardians

While the Cleveland Guardians have not performed well in this series against the Tigers, they are still right where they need to be in the AL Central race. Cleveland is one game ahead of the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox for first place in the standings.

If they can grab a win in the series finale against the Tigers on Wednesday night, they would guarantee themselves at least a one-game lead over those two teams going into their next series.

Cal Quantrill is the pitcher tasked with starting this game on the mound for the Guardians. He is 9-5 on the season and has posted a respectable 3.67 ERA over the course of his 130 innings of work.

Quantrill has allowed 16 home runs so far this season, though, and will need to avoid letting the Tigers hang around in this game with home runs.

Keys to the Game

The number one key to this game for the Guardians is going to go out there and play freely in an otherwise tense situation. Being in a tight division race and playing a team you are expected to beat can lead to players struggling with their composure in big moments.

That cannot happen here for the Guardians, who could find themselves in a tie for first place in the division if they cannot grind out a win here.

On the Tigers’ side, continuing to play like they have nothing to lose will be their number one key to the game. The Tigers have no chance at the postseason anymore, but they have the ability to play spoiler against the other teams in the Central.

If they can continue to do just that against the Guardians, they can really send some ripples through the rest of the division.