Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers Preview

The Cleveland Indians begin the 2021 Major League Baseball season on the road to face the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon. This is a great opportunity for the Indians to get off to a strong start in 2021, as the Detroit Tigers are not expected to be a strong team.

Cleveland will begin 2021 looking for a new leader as Francisco Lindor is no longer with the team. The Indians do still have some familiar faces on the roster, but this has all the makings of a rebuilding year.

Detroit has been in the rebuilding stage for a couple of years, and they are not yet ready to turn the corner. The Tigers can still do things to give the Indians problems, but they are a home underdog in the first game of the season.

The Cleveland Indians are -190 in this Opening Day matchup with the Detroit Tigers.

No Lindor, No Offense?

Life without Francisco Lindor begins for the Cleveland Indians, and that could spell some trouble.e Lindor has shown the ability to carry the offense in past seasons, and his absence will force other players to step up.

Jose Ramirez and Eddie Rosario will now be asked to carry the team on offense, and they can do so in the power department. Cleveland is not expected to be a great offensive team this season, but they do have some interesting pieces that could perform well.

Cleveland does have an absolute weapon in starting Pitcher Shane Bieber. Bieber came out of nowhere to win the Cy Young Award a season ago, and he will be out to prove that his performance wasn’t a fluke.

Tigers Trending in the Wrong Direction

There are a number of MLB teams that are expected to be rebuilding this season, but those plans are pretty clear to see. It’s not clear what the Detroit Tigers are attempting to do this season, and that is going to lead to some issues.

Detroit does not have an offense capable of challenging Bieber, and their pitching staff is going to struggle as well. The American League Central will have some tough teams this year, but Detroit should be the worst team of the group.

Bieber Won’t Need Much Help

Even if the Cleveland Indians can only manage two or three runs in the season opener, it might be enough to win the game. Shane Bieber was absolutely dominant a season ago, and he shouldn’t have a ton of trouble with a bad Tigers lineup.

Detroit still has Miguel Cabrera in the lineup, but there just aren’t many other quality hitters set to take the field. The Tigers are going to be one of the worst offensive teams in baseball, and it’s hard to see them doing much against the Cy Young Award winner.

The Indians will have their fair share of struggles this season as well, but they should be able to find enough offense to back Bieber and win on Opening Day.