MLB Betting Betting Preview
Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians
Wednesday, 7:05 pm Eastern – ESPN

Opening Line: Indians -183, Total 10 Over (-120)

The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians wrap up their short, but important two game series Wednesday night on ESPN.  The Tigers go with rookie Jair Jurrjens who is making his Major League debut while Cleveland counters with Fausto Carmona.

Jurrjens is taking Kenny Rogers spot in the rotation for at least one start. Jurrjens was 7-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 starts at Double-A Erie.  He had 94 strikeouts in 112 2/3 innings with only 31 walks.

Carmona is 1-0 with a 5.54 ERA in two starts against the Tigers this season. He did not pitch up to his standards in his last outing against the Yankees giving up four runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts in seven innings.

The Indians have not been hitting well of late and general manager Mark Shapiro has noticed. "Everybody's tired," general manager Mark Shapiro said. "I'm tired of watching us not hit," The Indians' have hit just .229 and averaged just 3.4 runs per game since July 23. "I think the danger in this game is looking at any juncture in time and taking that as a conclusive evaluation," he said. "It doesn't feel good at the moment. That's the reality of the emotions of the last four to six weeks. But we need to put that behind us and focus on [the schedule from] here on out and recognize the opportunity we've got."

Current Line: Indians -182, Total 10 Over (-120)

The Indians did not do much in the trade market and did not do much before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. Shapiro is happy he did not give away any young players.  "I don't think we missed an opportunity," he said. "We looked hard at every opportunity. I'm thankful for some of the trades we didn't do. Ninety percent of the cases, when you examine July trades, you're going to win or lose ultimately with the club you built in the offseason and the depth you've got."

The Indians are looking at how they will fill their fifth spot in the rotation. Aug. 25 is the day that spot will need to be filled, and the candidates for it are Cliff Lee, Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers. Lee made his fourth start Saturday since his July 27 demotion to the Minors. Lee will make his next start Wednesday on three days' rest. "We have a couple alternatives," Shapiro said. "But we needed to get Cliff in line to be an alternative to make that start." Lee is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 20 innings at Buffalo. Laffey was sent down last week after making two solid starts in Minnesota and Chicago. Sowers is 1-5 with a 4.20 ERA in 10 starts since being optioned to Buffalo on June 10.

Here were the betting statistics heading into Tuesday’s action. The Tigers are 5-12 in their last 17 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Tigers are 5-13 in their last 18 overall. The Tigers are 1-6 in their last 7 road games. The Tigers are 0-4 in their last 4 vs. the American League Central. The Tigers are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Indians are 2-6 in their last 8 games as a favorite. The Indians are 1-4 in their last 5 games as a home favorite. The Indians are 1-4 in their last 5 overall. The Indians are 1-5 in their last 6 Wednesday games. The Indians are 1-5 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record. The Indians are 1-7 in their last 8 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Indians are 1-7 in their last 8 home games. The Indians are 4-1 in Carmona's last 5 starts vs. the American League Central. The Indians are 8-3 in Carmona's last 11 home starts.

The Over is 5-1 in the Tigers last 6 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 4-1 in the Tigers last 5 games as a road underdog.