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While the Detroit Tigers are playing out a disappointing season, the Cleveland Guardians need every win they can get as they chase both the AL Central title and a wild-card spot. The Guardians are favored in Motown on the MLB odds for Wednesday’s game.

How to Bet Guardians at Tigers MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 7:10 PM ET
Where: Comerica Park
Probable pitchers (away/home): Aaron Civale/Drew Hutchison
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Guardians -150, Tigers +140 (total 8.5)

Why Bet on Cleveland?

Amed Rosario ranks 3rd among qualified A.L. shortstops in fielding pct. (.978), while pacing the circuit in Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) at 4.9 — UZR is a metric designed to measure fielding by comparing the event that actually happened to data on similarly-hit balls in the past, determining how much better or worse the fielder did than the “average” player. In each of his five previous seasons in the big leagues, Rosario’s Defensive Runs Saved were all in the negative. But so far this year, he’s had five Defensive Runs Saved — a big leap from last year’s -9.

As of Tuesday, Jose Ramirez is third in the majors with 87 RBIs and on pace to amass 131 RBIs this season; would signify the most runs driven in by a Clevelander since Juan Gonzalez’s 140 RBIs in the 2001 campaign.

The Guardians will activate Aaron Civale (2-5, 6.17) off the injured list to start here. Civale was charged with two runs (one earned) over four innings on Friday in a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Columbus. Civale threw 55 pitches (35 strikes), struck out three batters and also issued a pair of walks. The 27-year-old righty has been out since mid-July due to a right wrist sprain. Civale was injured throwing a curveball against the Chicago White Sox on July 13. He pitched just one inning in Cleveland’s 2-1 loss at home.

While his season ERA is a whopping 6.17, that’s a misnomer. It’s not an honest look at him over his last six starts. He’s only pitched six times since May 20, and in that time span, he’s posted a 3.10 ERA. Last season, Civale was leading the AL in wins when a sprained right middle finger sidelined him for 2 1/2 months. He finished 12-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 21 starts.

Assuming Civale won’t throw a complete game, since July 9 Cleveland’s bullpen has pitched to a 2.12 ERA in 93 1/3 innings, the third-lowest mark in baseball in that span behind Toronto (2.05) and Baltimore (2.09).

Why Bet on Detroit?

Detroit is on pace to have a winning season against the Guardians for the first time since 2015, when the club won 11 of 18 games.

Outfielder Austin Meadows will likely progress to a minor league rehab assignment later this week. Meadows has taken batting practice and resumed running without any issues and will continue to increase baseball activity this week before heading out on a minor league rehab assignment. He’s been out since mid-June due to bilateral Achilles strains and lingering soreness.

Fellow outfielder Victor Reyes was out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Guardians. Reyes sat for the second game in a row, ceding his spot in the corner outfield to Akil Baddoo. Reyes has gone 3-for-25 with three doubles and 10 strikeouts over his last seven games.

Reliever Joe Jiménez has 21 multi-strikeout relief appearances, tied for the American League lead and ranks tied for third in the majors. Among AL relievers with at least 30 games pitched he ranks tied for fourth in FIP (2.04) and sixth in strikeout rate (34.5%).

vIt’s Drew Hutchison (1-5) on the bump for Detroit in this one. Hutchison was charged with four runs (two earned) over six innings last Thursday in a loss the Rays. Hutchison gave up eight hits, including a two-run homer to Brandon Lowe in the third inning. He struck out three batters and also handed out three free passes. The 31-year-old journeyman right-hander has compiled a 4.37 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 35/27 K/BB ratio across (18 appearances, eight starts) this season.

Dating to July 21, Tigers starters have a 3.19 ERA, which ranks sixth in the Major Leagues over that span. Additionally, the group leads the AL in earned runs per game over that range (1.72) and ranks second in ERA and OPS allowed (.681) and third in opponents’ batting average (.226).