Indians Tigers Betting – Tigers Look To Take Over Division Lead With Set Against Indians

After a red-hot start that pushed the Cleveland Indians to become the first team to win 30 games this season, the tribe has cooled a bit under the warm weather. The Indians lost eight of ten games heading into their three-game set against the Detroit Tigers, falling into a tie for the division lead with their American League Central rivals to leave top spot to be decided this week in the Motor City.

Cleveland Indians @ Detroit Tigers

It is no secret that Cleveland’s struggles have coincided with a tough stretch that included sets against the defending AL champion Texas Rangers and AL East giant New York Yankees, and it now comes down to performing within their own division to hold on to top spot. The Indians haven’t played well on the road this season and although they would love to start the series off on a positive note, they will be in tough with the inconsistent Justin Masterson on the mound against one of the best pitchers in the AL in Justin Verlander. Verlander is 7-3 on the season with a 2.89 ERA, and has allowed just three earned runs in his last three starts heading into this series. Detroit will have plenty of motivation after climbing back into the division race, and will look to capitalize on the opportunity to open up a sports betting bonus lead in the opener in front of the hometown fans.

MLB Betting Pick: Detroit Tigers

Cleveland Indians @ Detroit Tigers

Wednesday, 7:05 PM ET

It won’t get any easier for the tribe in terms of pitching matchups in the second game of this series as they send Fausto Carmona to the mound to battle Brad Penny. On the bright side, Carmona’s 5.71 ERA isn’t that much worse than Penny’s 4.69 ERA, but it is notable that the latter has allowed just three earned runs in each of his past two starts while Cleveland’s starter has trended the other way with no less than four allowed in each of his last six starts. The Indians’ offense will be better in the second MLB betting game, but it won’t be good enough to get Carmona through.

MLB Betting Pick: Detroit Tigers

Cleveland Indians @ Detroit Tigers

Thursday, 1:05 PM ET

Despite hitting a rough three-game stretch to end the month of May, Max Scherzer rebounded strong in an 8-1 win over the Seattle Mariners with just one earned run allowed in seven innings. Still, Scherzer has been inconsistent and while his team has bailed him out a few times eventually he will have to deal with the fact that the Tigers won’t always be able to bail him out. The Indians cannot afford to be swept by another playoff contender after getting pounded by the Rangers and Yankees, and they will respond with a strong effort from Mitch Talbot helping them get the win in the sports betting series finale.