Can The Cleveland Indians Stay Ahead In The NL Central?

The Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers meet in a NL Central clash on Saturday July 1 in the second game of a four game series. The game will be played at Progressive Field, and is scheduled to begin at 1:10 PM. ET.

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Cleveland Indians vs Detroit Tigers

• When: Saturday, July 1, 1:10 PM
• Where: Comerica Park, Detroit
• Moneyline: TBD
• Over/Under: TBD

Betting on the Indians

The Indians currently sit on top of the AL Central, but the team has seen its lead dwindle in the past week, after losing four of their last five games.

Despite the slide, Cleveland still has a half game lead over the Minnesota Twins, and a six game lead over the Tigers.

Cleveland struggled at the start of the season, thanks in part to injuries. But the team managed to bounce back to take the division lead.

The #Indians have awoken for the 2017 season. Let's take a moment to thank the Twins, Tigers, Royals & White Sox for participating this year

— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWTAM) June 20, 2017

Regardless of Cleveland’s slow start to the season, they currently have the fourth best record in the American League.

The Indians have also been one of the best road teams in the league this year, but they have not fared well at home this season and currently have a 16-21 record at home, which is the second worst record for a team with a winning record.

The Indians have lost four of their six meetings with the Tigers this season and can’t afford to drop more games to Detroit if they want to hang on to their AL Central lead.

Starting Pitcher Analysis

Carlos Carrasco will get the start for the Indians in this game. For the season, Carrasco is 8-3 with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts.

However, he gave up eight runs in only three innings in his last start. Before that game, he had given up only three runs in his previous three starts and pitched at least five innings in those games.

Cleveland Trends

• Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
• Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland's last 7 games

Betting on the Tigers

The Tigers were in contention in the AL Central, but blew a big opportunity to challenge Cleveland for the top spot in the division when they lost eight consecutive games in eight days.

The team eventually snapped out of the slump and have won two consecutive games. The most frustrating part for the Tigers is that those losses came against teams they should have defeated.

Despite their eight-game losing streak, the Tigers can still climb their way back to the top of the division, but they will need to take care of business against the Indians.

FINAL: #Tigers 5, Royals 3. Great day for all the good dogs at the Park. pic.twitter.com/M3kqgNdj0I

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 28, 2017

If they sweep the series, they will be two games behind Detroit, which will make taking the division lead much easier. If they falter and lose all four games, they will be looking at a 10 game deficit against the Indians.

Starting Pitcher Analysis

The Tigers will send Buck Farmer to the mound to take on the Indians. In four starts, Farmer has a 2-1 record with a 6.62 ERA.

Farmer didn’t allow a run in his first two starts, but has allowed 13 runs in his last two. In order for Detroit to win this game, Farmer has to play like he did in his first two starts to give his team a chance to win. If he doesn’t pitch well, the Tigers will be in for a long day.

Detroit Trends

• Detroit is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
• Detroit is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games

Pick and Prediction

Cleveland is a very good road team going up against a pitcher that has had control issues in his last two starts. The Indians are the smart play here.