MLB – FREE PLAY: Tigers (941) vs. Guardians (942)

I am playing the OVER in this one. Two AL Central rivals face off in the opening game of the MLB playoffs, when the Detroit Tigers face off against the Cleveland Guardians. Detroit had a 14.5-game lead over Cleveland in late July, but the Guardians got hot in September, the Tigers went into a swoon, and the Guardians won the division on the last day of the season.  The Tigers have lost ten of the team’s last 12 games. The Guardians have won four of the team’s last six games. Tarik Skubal will look to get the Tigers off to a fast start when he takes the mound in game one. Skubal is 13-6 in 31 starts, with a 2.21 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. He has amassed 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings pitched. The Guardians will send Gavin Williams to the mound. He is 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He has 173 strikeouts in 167.2 innings. I would love to back Skubal and the Tigers in this one, but I just can’t. Skubal has averaged a little over 5 innings in his last 5 starts, and I feel you need a complete game to get the win. The Tigers’ bullpen has been atrocious, especially in September. This game has been written all over it. But the way the Tigers’ bullpen has been, I am going with the over.

Play: Tigers-Cleveland over 6 -.