Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians May 29 Betting Preview

The rubber match between AL Central rivals will go down on Sunday as the Cleveland Guardians (19-23) take on the Detroit Tigers (16-29). The Tigers will host this one at Comerica Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:40 pm ET.

After dropping the first game of the series, the Guardians bounced back with a 8-1 win on Saturday. Shane Bieber was phenomenal in the win, going eight innings and allowing one run on eight hits while striking out five.

Offensively, Jose Ramirez went two for five with a home run, triple, five runs batted in, and three runs scored. Josh Naylor, Oscar Gonzalez, and Richie Palacios all had two-hit games as well.

Despite losing big, the Tigers’ Alex Faedo pitched a quality start. He went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, two walks, and struck out two. The Tigers’ bullpen gave up six runs in just three innings of work.

Tigers’ hitters collected ten hits, including three from Harold Castro and two from Willi Castro. What did them in, though, was the 16 runners left on base in the game.

Betting Odds

Even though they are playing on the road, the Guardians are the favorites in this one. They are -158 to win while the Tigers’ moneyline sits at +134. The runline features Detroit +1.5 (-140), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.

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Pitching Matchup

Cleveland will send righty Triston McKenzie to the mound for this one. He has been solid this year as he is 3-3 in eight starts with a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and has 37 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched. In his last outing, he picked up the win in Houston, going seven innings of one-run ball.

The Tigers will counter with 24-year-old righty Elvin Rodriguez. He has been roughed up thus far in two games. In that span, he is 0-0 with a 9.39 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and has six strikeouts in 7.2 innings.

Guardians Look To Carry Offensive Momentum Into Sunday’s Finale

After scoring just seven runs combined in their last three games, it was a welcomed relief to see the Guardians’ offense put up eight runs in Saturday’s win. They will look to carry that momentum against a Tigers’ starter who has had a knack for allowing runs early on.

Jose Ramirez showed again on Saturday why he is not only the best hitter on the team but one of the best in all of baseball. He leads all of MLB with 48 runs batted in, and he now has 12 home runs and 27 runs scored to go along with a .297/.391/.646 batting line.

This will be the first time any Guardians’ hitter has seen Elvin Rodriguez, but against righties, Josh Naylor has been really strong to start the season. In 67 at bats versus righties, he is hitting .328/.370/.612 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in.

Tigers Trying To Figure Out McKenzie

Despite just a 3-3 record, Triston McKenzie has quietly been one of the Guardians’ best pitchers this season. On Sunday, Detroit’s offense will try to figure out the righty in order to win this series on their home field.

Throughout their careers, not too many Tigers’ hitters have had success against McKenzie. Tucker Barnhart and Willi Castro have both taken him deep, but collectively, Detroit is just 9 for 47.

Miguel Cabrera has been the Tigers’ best hitter versus righties. He is hitting .299/.330/.430 with three home runs, and 13 runners batted in this season.

Guardians In Good Spot To Take Series

Over his last three starts, Triston McKenzie, on average, has given up just two runs a game while also averaging just under seven innings per game. If the Guardians get a similar performance on Sunday, they should be in good shape to take this series.

Throw on top of that the fact that Elvin Rodriguez has struggled to keep runs off the board, and this feels like a game where Saturday’s offensive resurgence could carry over into Sunday.

Regardless, if the Guardians want to stay in the thick of the AL Central standings, this is a series they need to win, and they should have a great opportunity at getting it done Sunday afternoon.