Friday, April 22, 2016

Comerica Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Josh Tomlin vs. Justin Verlander

The Cleveland Indians visit Comerica Park on Friday to play the Detroit Tigers. The probable starters are Josh Tomlin for the Indians and Justin Verlander for the Tigers. The opening line for this matchup has Cleveland at +129 and Detroit at -139. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Indians have a 5-6-1 over/under record and a 4-8-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 33% of the time. The Tigers are 9-4-0 against the run line and have a 9-4-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 69% of the time.

The Indians head into this matchup with a 6-6 record, including 3-2 on the road. Starting pitcher Josh Tomlin has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 1.80 and a WHIP of 0.80. He has 6 strikeouts over his 5 innings pitched and he has given up 4 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.24. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.54 and they have given up 25 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .203 against the bullpen while being struck out 27 times and walking 14 times this season. As a team, Cleveland has allowed 7.56 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.49 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 3.99. The Indians pitchers have collectively given up 89 base hits and 47 earned runs. They have allowed 18 home runs this season and they allow 1.5 homers per nine innings as a staff. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 36 batters and struck out 100. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.18 and their FIP as a unit is 4.49.

As a team, Cleveland is batting .239, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .231 average away from home. The Indians hold a .373 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .300 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 7.92 hits per game. Jason Kipnis comes into this game hitting .273 and his on-base percentage is at .333. He has 12 hits this season along with 7 runs scored and 6 runs batted in. He's struck out 14 times and has walked 5 times. Francisco Lindor is hitting .319 and he has an on-base percentage of .360. He has totaled 15 hits so far while scoring 8 runs and he's driven in 5. He has walked 3 times and has struck out 10 times. The Indians have 95 hits, including 21 doubles and 10 home runs. They've stolen 10 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Cleveland has walked 36 times this season and they've struck out 110 times as a unit. They've left 80 men on base and have a team OPS of .673. They score 3.83 runs per contest and have scored a total of 46 runs so far this year.

Detroit comes into this matchup with a 2-2 home record and a 8-5 overall mark. With an earned run average of 7.16, Justin Verlander has a 1-1 record and a 1.59 WHIP. He has 15 strikeouts over the 16.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 20 hits. He has allowed 11 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.69. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.02 and they have given up 45 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .266 against the Tigers bullpen while being struck out 34 times and walking 13 times this season. As a team, Detroit has allowed 9.08 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.29 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 3.72. The Tigers pitchers as a team have surrendered 117 base knocks and 48 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 11 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a staff has walked 47 hitters and struck out 94. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 3.94.

As a team, they are batting .281, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .292 average at home. The Tigers hold a .443 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .340 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.08 hits per contest. Miguel Cabrera comes into this matchup batting .250 and he has an OBP of .339. He has 13 hits this year along with 7 runs scored and 6 RBI. He's struck out 13 times and has walked on 7 occasions. Justin Upton is hitting .241 and he has an OBP of .279. He has collected 14 hits so far while he's scored 7 runs and drove in 2. He has earned a walk 3 times and has punched out 24 times. The Tigers as a unit have 131 base hits, including 22 doubles and 18 homers. They have 2 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 2 times. Detroit as a team has walked 40 times this year and they have struck out 116 times. They've had 98 men left on base and have an OPS of .783. They score 5.15 runs per game and have totaled 67 runs so far this season.

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 5-6-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Cleveland Indians are 4-8-0 against the run line so far this season

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 9-4-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 9-4-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Cleveland Indians

04/20/16 P Carlos Carrasco Ankle "?" for next scheduled start
04/05/16 P Tommy Hunter Side 15-day DL (3/26)
04/04/16 LF Michael Brantley Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)

Detroit Tigers

04/12/16 C James McCann Ankle 15-day DL (4/12)
04/04/16 CF Cameron Maybin Wrist 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Daniel Norris Back 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jeff Ferrell Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Angel Nesbitt Ankle 15-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Indians

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