Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers Betting Preview

The Cleveland Indians hit the road to start a four-game series with the Detroit Tigers on Monday night. The two AL Central rivals will play at Comerica Park in Detroit, with the first pitch of the opener scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.

The Indians come into this one off a series loss to the Minnesota Twins over the weekend, dropping two of three, including an 8-5 decision in 10 innings on Sunday. It was the second straight 10-inning game between the two teams, with Cleveland winning 5-3 on Saturday.

Cleveland is in second place in the AL Central, sitting 1.5 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox entering this series. The Indians are 2.5 games ahead of the third-place Kansas City Royals.

Detroit has lost two in a row entering Monday's game and sits in fourth place in the AL Central standings. The Tigers are 4.5 games behind the Royals and just one game ahead of the last-place Minnesota Twins.

The Tigers are the favorites for the series opener, holding a -124 moneyline, while the Indians have a moneyline of +106. The over/under has been set at nine runs.

Indians Trying To Move Up

Cleveland missed a golden opportunity to move closer to first place this weekend, as the White Sox lost three straight. The Indians must start beating the teams at the bottom of the standings in the division if they want to make a run to first place.

Left-hander Sam Hentges makes the start in the opener, as he is 1-1 with a 6.46 ERA this season. Hentges is making his third start and seventh appearance of the season, his first in the major leagues.

The 24-year-old lasted just 1 2/3 innings in his last start, last Monday against the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed six earned runs on five hits, including a Shohei Ohtani home run, striking out one and walking three in the short stint.

The Indians had to put Franmil Reyes on the injured list on Sunday with an internal oblique strain. The injury is expected to keep Reyes out for five to seven weeks. The outfielder leads the Indians with 29 RBI while hitting 11 home runs and batting .257 this season.

Jordan Luplow replaced Reyes in the lineup on Sunday, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but he drove in the game-tying run in the ninth with a squeeze bunt. Luplow has six home runs and 18 RBI this season and will likely take Reyes' spot for a while.

The Indians will need more out of third baseman Jose Ramirez with Reyes sidelined. Ramirez has hit 12 home runs to lead Cleveland while also driving in 26 runs and scoring a team-high 31 times.

Follow-Up Performance

The last time the Tigers had Spencer Turnbull on the mound, he was throwing the franchise's first no-hitter since 2011. The 28-year-old right-hander shut down Seattle last Tuesday and now tries to follow up that performance.

Turnbull is 3-2 on the season with a 2.88 ERA. He's won his last two starts, allowing a total of one run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings in his previous outing against Kansas City. He's allowed just one home run in six starts this season.

The Tigers don't have a lot of power in their lineup, with catcher Wilson Ramos leading the team with six home runs. Outfielder Robbie Grossman has a team-high 20 RBI, with nine doubles, two triples and five home runs.

Detroit ranks 28th in baseball -- and last in the American League -- with 168 runs this season. The team's total of 43 home runs is tied with Miami for 26th in the majors.

Tight Opener

Neither offense has been hot of late, and the Indians are missing a key cog with Reyes out. Still, Detroit doesn't have a lot of pop in its lineup, so this game could come down to which starter can keep the opponent in check the longest.

Cleveland will be ready for Turnbull after his no-hitter and should be able to scratch out some runs against him. The Indians are going for their fifth straight win against Detroit this season.