The first full week of May begins with a collision of AL Central rivals when Detroit visits Cleveland on Monday’s baseball betting card. It’s the first meeting of the year between the old foes, and at the top sportsbooks, Bookmaker is carrying Cleveland on a -120 moneyline.
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MLB Pick: Under 7.5 (-113) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians
Monday, May 06, 2024 – 06:10 PM ET at Progressive Field
Atop the AL Central by 2½-games, Cleveland sends Triston McKenzie (2-2, 4.34) to the home mound as small chalk in the series opener against Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.00) and Detroit.
Cleveland 2nd in AL in Scoring (4.94 RPG)
Flaherty is coming off a huge effort vs. St. Louis, striking out 14 before being relieved in the 7th, but the Tigers provided no support in a 2-1 loss as -120 chalk against his former teammates. The Tigers are 2-1 in his road starts, Flaherty owning a 3.71 ERA in those outings.
McKenzie’s ERA was above 6 after his first 3 starts of ‘24, but he has since turned things around to help Cleveland to win in each of his last 3 assignments. He’s been tough on the Tigers since making his MLB debut against them in 2020, going 3-2 with a 1.04 ERA in 7 career starts.
‘Under’ Played Well in 2023 Matchups
Detroit ran roughshod over Cleveland a year ago, winning 9 of the 13 games. The Tigers were 5-2 in the 7 matchups at Progressive Field, and playing the MLB odds to stay ‘under’ the totals was a big winner as well, 2-10-1 O/U/P overall and 0-6-1 O/U/P in Cleveland.
Plenty of clouds, but no rain, is the forecast for Cleveland, and with a slight breeze blowing in from the center, I’ll ride the ‘under’ trend these two clubs have going.
MLB Pick: Under 7.5 (-113) at Heritage Sports
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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