Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians Match Preview

Sunday afternoon will feature the last game of a three-game set between A.L. Central rivals as the Cleveland Indians host the Detroit Tigers.

Progressive Field will be the venue for this one, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 pm ET.

The Indians are the favorites playing at home. They are -185 to win while the Tigers’ moneyline sits at +170. The runline features Detroit +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is nine.

Pitching Matchup

The pitching matchup will feature two starters looking for their first win. For the Tigers, Jose Urena (0-1, 15.00 ERA) will take the mound. In his last start, a 15-6 loss to the Twins, Urena really struggled. In fact, in three innings of work, he allowed six runs (five earned) while walking four and striking out five.

The Indians will go with starter Logan Allen (0-1, 3.60 ERA). Allen suffered the loss against Kansas City in his first outing but pitched fairly well. He went five innings allowing just two runs while striking out three and walking two.

By The Number

Offensively, these two have been pretty similar to one another. The Indians rank 21st in the majors in scoring, averaging 3.50 runs per game. Detroit comes in one spot behind them at 22nd, averaging 3.43 runs.

Defensively, Cleveland holds a big advantage. They rank second in the majors allowing opponents just 2.83 runs per game. Detroit falls to 24th, allowing 5.43 runs per game.

Tigers Trying To Defy Odds

There are not too many who expect the Tigers to compete this season. They currently have the worst odds to win the A.L. Central (+4500) and are +12000 to win the World Series. While this will likely be a season focused on developing young players, they still hope to compete on a day-to-day basis.

The Indians learned about their competitiveness in their first series as the Tigers took two of three from the Tribe.

Offensively, veteran catcher Wilson Ramos and rookie outfielder Akil Baddoo have shown the most promise early on. Ramos leads the team with three home runs, but he has also struck out nine times.

Baddoo has really impressed early on with a slash line of .385/.429/1.000. He has two home runs and leads the team with seven runs batted in.

Cleveland Offense Hopes To Match Pitching

There is no doubt that the strength of the Cleveland Indians is their pitching. Continuing a trend from last season, they have ranked as one of the best teams in MLB, preventing runs early this season. Still, to compete in a solid A.L. Central, they need their offense to step up its game.

Currently leading the way offensively is designated hitter Franmil Reyes and third baseman, Jose Ramirez. For Reyes, he is hitting .304/.333/.739 through the first six games with three home runs and five runs batted in.

Ramirez has been similarly successful hitting .375/.400/.667 with two home runs, four runs batted in, and a stolen base.

The Indians are currently +950 to win the division, trailing the White Sox (-110) and Twins (+115) in terms of odds to win. Still, if they can get the bats rolling, they easily have the pitching to make a run at it.

Cleveland Hoping To Pick Up Another Win

While both Jose Urena and Logan Allen were tabbed with losses in their first starts, it was Allen that looked much more impressive. Urena has strikeout potential, but he also has the potential to walk a lot of the Indians can be patient.

Obviously, the Tigers have shown that they can be resilient, but they also have shown that they are beatable if the Indians’ bats can support their pitching.