A late rally gave the Indians the dubya last night over the Tigers. But Detroit has a decided pitching edge this evening with Justin Verlander on the bump in Cleveland.
I was somewhat fortunate to win with Cleveland yesterday as the Indians scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game. The Tribe would eventually score the winning run in the bottom of the 11th. I'm coming back with Detroit today though.
Despite last night's painful loss, the Tigers haven't given up yet. As Zach Miner noted, "We still have 11 games left. We were dead and buried five days ago and got five wins."
The defending American League Champs clearly send the hotter pitcher to the mound this evening. Justin Verlander is 4-0 with a miniscule 0.87 ERA over his last four starts. Verlander averaged greater than seven innings in each of those starts and didn't allow more than a single run in any of them. For the season he is 8-2 with a 3.11 ERA on the road.
On the other hand, Cleveland's Jake Westbrook is just 3-5 at home. He allowed four runs, including two home runs, in his last start and is now 0-2 (team is 0-3) with a 4.34 ERA and an ugly 1.714 WHIP his last three starts. With "the season on the line," consider a play on Detroit.
Free Pick: Tigers -117