Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, 8/17/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Thursday, August 17, 2023

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH

TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes

Odds/Point Spread: Detroit (-122) Cleveland (+102)

Progressive Field is the site where the Cleveland Guardians (58-62) will take on the Detroit Tigers (53-66) on Thursday. The line on this matchup has Detroit at -122 while Cleveland is priced at +102. The total has been set at 7.5. The starting pitchers will be Tarik Skubal and Xzavion Curry.

Detroit is slugging .374 and have struck out 1,059 times, while taking a walk on 353 occasions. They have 451 runs batted in and 944 base knocks on the season, while their average at the plate is sitting at .234. The Tigers have accounted for 183 two-baggers as a team and have hit 115 baseballs out of the park. They have a total of 469 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .299. As a squad, the Detroit Tigers are knocking in 3.9 runs per game, which is 29th in MLB.

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The Tigers have a team earned run average of 4.46 over the course of the season (19th in the league), and the staff has rung up 996 batters. Tigers pitchers have conceded 141 home runs and also 571 runs in total (19th in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 342 opposing players and their FIP is 4.20 as a unit for the season. Detroit has conceded 1,000 base hits (8.5 per 9 innings) and 525 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 2.91 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.27.

Tigers relief pitchers have entered the game with runners on base 124 times and also have had 118 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have notched 67 holds for the year (11th in baseball). The Tigers relievers have accumulated a save percentage of 62.2% and has entered the game in 116 save situations. They have accumulated 28 saves on the campaign and have blown 17 of their 45 chances to save the game. The relievers have inherited 177 runners on the campaign and 32.8% of those players ended up scoring. The Tigers have dispatched 389 relief pitchers to the mound this season.

The Tigers have turned 69.3% of balls in play into outs in their 9,528 innings on the field, which has them ranked 14th in professional baseball. The Detroit Tigers have 3,176 putouts for the season, in addition to 1,027 assists and 75 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .982 which puts them in 29th in MLB, and have accumulated 93 double plays.

Skubal has taken the ball for 331 innings and has 354 strikeouts in his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 4.16 (153 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.207. He has given up 304 hits (8.3 hits per 9 innings) and has 96 free passes. Skubal (18-26 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 4.10 while he has gone up against 1,375 batters in the majors.

Cleveland is sitting with 87 home runs on the season to go along with 455 RBIs. They have tallied 221 two-baggers, while walking 347 times as well as scoring 488 runs. The Cleveland Guardians have tallied an OBP of .313 in addition to a batting average of .250 this season. The Guardians have a SLG% of .380 and they score 4.07 runs per contest (27th in MLB). They have been called out on strikes on 833 instances (30th in MLB) and have accounted for 1,021 hits.

The Cleveland pitching staff have surrendered 485 runs this season while having an ERA of 3.76 (448 earned runs yielded). They have conceded 120 long balls and they give up 4.08 runs per 9 innings (2nd in the league). The Guardians hold a team WHIP of 1.271 and have a FIP of 4.09 as a pitching staff for the season. Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 8.10 (963 strikeouts vs 376 walks). They rank 14th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 985.

Cleveland relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 21.5% of 144 inherited runners. Their relievers have stepped onto the mound 145 times in high leverage situations and on 104 occasions with runners on base. Sitting with 137 save situations, the Guardians have earned 73 holds and 24 blown saves. They are ranked 20th in MLB holding a save percentage of 59.3%, and they have dispatched 390 relief pitchers to the hill so far this season. Cleveland has had bullpen pitchers enter the game in 59 save opportunities and they have earned 35 saves.

The Cleveland Guardians have gotten 89 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .988 (8th in the majors). The Guardians have 1,058 assists, 54 errors and have earned a total of 3,213 putouts for the season. In 9,639 innings played, the Guardians have a efficiency on defense of 70.2% (5th in MLB).

Curry (3-2 career win-loss record) has earned a 3.68 earned run average and has given up 8.7 hits per 9 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 1.96 and he has faced 332 opposing batters in his career. He has surrendered 32 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.289 and a FIP of 4.5. In his pro baseball career, Curry has surrendered 76 hits while he has earned 49 K's in 78 innings pitched.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Detroit (-122)

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