Published May 20, 6:17pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 20, 6:17pm ET
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Updated May 20, 6:17pm ET
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| Detroit Tigers | -107 |
| Cleveland Guardians | -103 |
Every season, the Guardians find a way to stay in contention no matter what challenges they face. After a mediocre start, they've gotten hot in May and vaulted to 1st place in the AL Central.
For the final game of their 4-game set in Detroit, they start young lefty Joey Cantillo.
Cantillo has generally been solid, but needs a rebound from a poor start against the Reds in which he surrendered 4 earned runs in 5 innings. That came right after tossing 6 shutout innings against the Angels.
In 10 starts, he has a 0.7 bWAR, thrown 50.1 innings, allowed 44 hits, and 19 earned runs. He's walked 24 and struck out 45.
Cleveland's offense has woken up slightly from its horrific start. As expected, star 3rd baseman Jose Ramirez's OPS is approaching .800 and he's already got 20 stolen bases. Chase DeLauter has been hitting all season. Travis Bazzana has an on-base percentage well above .400 and an OPS of around .830.
Against Tigers' starter Casey Mize, Ramirez is 5 for 11 with 2 homers. Steven Kwan is 2 for 11. Angel Martinez is 1 for 3 with a single. Brayan Rocchio is 1 for 4 with a double.
Since they lost ace Tarik Skubal, the Tigers have played like they're in a daze. Skubal had surgery for loose bodies in his elbow and could be out for 3 months. As a pending free agent, both he and the team need to weigh their options as the trade deadline approaches and decide the best path for each.
Former MLB 1st overall pick Casey Mize takes the hill against the Guardians. At 29, he will never reach the heights expected for such a high pick, but he can certainly be a solid mid-rotation starter.
Thus far this season, he's been very good with a 1.7 bWAR in 7 starts with a 2.43 ERA. In 37 innings, he's allowed 28 hits and 10 earned runs, walking 11 and striking out 39. He recently returned from a groin strain and held the Blue Jays scoreless over 6 innings, walking none and striking out 4.
Apart from Riley Greene and Kevin McGonigle, Detroit's offense continues to be pathetic. Spencer Torkelson is hitting under .200. Javier Baez, as usual, has a middling batting average and a horrid on-base percentage. Kerry Carpenter is hitting in the low-.200s.
For the Tigers against Cantillo, Dillon Dingler is 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. Greene is 2 for 5 with 2 singles. Torkelson is 1 for 3 with a single.
The Tigers are reeling. The question is if they're as bad as they've played or if they're just underperforming. They've shown in the past that they can recover from poor starts, but that was after there were no expectations for them. This year, there are big expectations.
For the Guardians, they have gotten hot along with Ramirez. In this matchup, they will take the final game of their series in Detroit behind Cantillo.
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Cleveland Indians -103
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