Tigers vs. Guardians Game 2 prediction: Odds, expert picks, pitching matchup, betting trends and stats

The Detroit Tigers may have had all the momentum entering their series against the Guardians, but it has shifted to Cleveland following the Guardians’ 7-0 smackdown of the Tigers in Game 1 of their divisional series.

Tigers’ starter Tyler Holton did not record an out in Game 1 as the Guardians jumped on him and scored 5 runs in the opening frame. Lane Thomas recorded the big blow, a 3-run home run, and Tanner Bibee and 4 Cleveland relievers allowed just 4 hits in a 7-0 romp Saturday.

Motown will look to regain their mojo as they send their ace, Tarik Skubal to the mound on Monday for Game 2. Former Tiger Matthew Boyd goes for Cleveland.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first-pitch, projected pitching matchup, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

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Game details & how to watch Tigers vs. Guardians – Game 2

● Date: Monday, October 7, 2024
● Time: 4:08 PM ET
● Site: Progressive Field
● City: Cleveland, OH
● TV/Streaming: TBS, TruTV

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Game odds for Tigers vs. Guardians

The latest odds as of Sunday:

● Moneyline: Detroit Tigers (-125), Cleveland Guardians (+105)
● Spread: Tigers -1.5 (+150), Guardians +1.5 (-185)
● Total: 6.5

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Probable starting pitchers for Detroit @ Cleveland

● Monday’s pitching matchup (October 7): Tarik Skubal vs. Matthew Boyd

○ Tigers: Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA) has allowed 51 earned runs and 142 hits while striking out 228 over 192 innings. Skubal pitched six scoreless innings in the Wild Card round vs. Houston.

○ Guardians: Boyd (2-2, 2.72 ERA) has allowed 12 earned runs and 32 hits while striking out 46 over 39.2 innings. Two years ago, Boyd pitched 0.1 innings in the playoffs for Seattle. He did not allow a run but did walk one and allow one hit.

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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Tigers vs. Guardians

• Guardians’ starter Matthew Boyd underwent Tommy John surgery early in the 2023 season…as a member of the Tigers. His first game this season was August 13^th this season.

• Detroit is 29-15 this season when entering a game favored by -128 or more on the moneyline.

• The Tigers are 89-74 ATS in their 163 games this season.

• Tigers’ starter Skubal has a 2.39 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 31 starts this season. Opposing hitters are batting .201.

• Skubal is averaging 6.2 innings per start this season.

• Skubal has a 1.29 ERA and a 1.571 WHIP against the Guardians this season in seven innings pitched.

• Cleveland is 27-31 on the moneyline in games they enter as the underdog.

• Opposing hitters are batting .213 against Matthew Boyd.

• Boyd has allowed at least one earned run in each of his appearances this season.

Playoff History for Detroit and Cleveland

● Tigers: Detroit upset the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round winning two straight in Texas. Prior to this season, the Tigers last qualified for the playoffs in 2014. They have won the World Series in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.

· Guardians: Cleveland has an all-time record of 61-58. They have appeared in the World Series 6 times – 1920, 1948, 1954,1995, 1997, and 2016 – and lost 6 times.

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for Game 2 of the series between Detroit and Cleveland

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s Tigers vs. Indians’ game: 

• Moneyline: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Tigers on the Moneyline

• Spread: NBC Sports is leaning towards a play on the Tigers on the Run Line

• Total Runs: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Total UNDER 7 Runs

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar!

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