Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians May 21 Betting Preview

Betting Odds

The Guardians are the favorites playing at home on Saturday. They are -190 to win while the Tigers’ moneyline sits at +160. The runline features Detroit +1.5 (-142), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

The Tigers will send 26-year-old righty Alex Faedo to the mound on Saturday. He has started three games thus far for Detroit, going 0-1 with a 2.87 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and has 12 strikeouts in 15.2 innings pitched.

The Guardians will counter with ace Shane Bieber. This season, Bieber has gone 1-2 in seven games with a 3.72 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and has 36 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched. In his last start, he took a no-decision after giving up one earned run over six innings to Minnesota.

By The Numbers

Cleveland has had the clear advantage on the offensive side this season. They rank seventh in the majors in scoring, averaging 4.66 runs per game (4.29 at home). The Tigers rank dead last averaging just 2.76 runs per game (2.00 on the road).

Defensively, it has been Detroit with the advantage. They rank 10th in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of just 3.92 runs per game (4.06 on the road). The Guardians rank 25th allowing 4.60 runs (4.14 at home).

Tigers Want To Live Up To Preseason Expectations

After finishing third in the division last season with a 77-85 record, many pundits around the game expected that Detroit could compete for a division title this season. Unfortunately for Tigers’ fans, they have yet to live up to those preseason expectations as they sit with the worst record in the American League at 13-26.

A.J. Hinch’s squad has been bad overall, but they have been especially lousy on the road. In fact, away from Comerica Park they are just 4-13 on the season.

One of the most productive hitters for the Tigers thus far has been 39-year-old Miguel Cabrera. In 123 at bats, he is hitting .276/.321/.390 with three home runs, 14 runs batted in, and 12 runs scored.

Against Shane Bieber, Cabrera has had some success in his career with a few hits including a home run. Willi Castro and Jonathan Schoop have also homered off of Bieber in their careers.

Cleveland Trying To Inch Back To .500

At 17-19, the Guardians sit in third in the AL Central, 4.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins. As they look to stay competitive in the division, they will first try to inch closer to .500 if they can secure the series win on Saturday.

Thus far, the Guardians have been 8-7 when playing at Progressive Field, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall.

Leading the offense is third baseman Jose Ramirez. After his big night on Friday, he is now hitting .287/.380/.588 with a team-leading nine home runs and 37 runs batted in. He has also scored 22 runs on the season while adding three stolen bases.

This will be the first time that any Guardian has squared off with Detroit’s Alex Faerdo.

Guardians Need To Take Advantage Of Opportunity

This is a great opportunity for the Guardians to get on a bit of a win streak. Not only are they facing a struggling Tigers team that has been really bad on the road, but the Guardians will send their ace Shane Bieber to try to guarantee the series win.

Even though Cleveland is just 2-5 in their last seven games, they are 15-5 against the Tigers when playing at home in their last 20 matchups.

The Guardians are also 8-3 in their last 11 games when facing off with AL Central opponents.

This could be a great opportunity for the Guardians to pick up some momentum and to get back into the thick of the AL Central race.

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