Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series kicks off with an American League Central battle between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians.

The Tigers swept their AL Wild Card matchup against the Houston Astros in the biggest upset so far in the playoffs.

During the regular season the Guardians won the season series 7-to-6, suggesting this series may end up going the full five games.

Before giving our Tigers vs Guardians predictions, lets take a look at the top storylines and pitching matchups.

 

 

Tigers vs. Guardians Predictions For AL Divisional Round Game 1

The Tigers “pitching chaos” continues in Game 1 as the team will use Tyler Holton as an “opener” before going back to their bullpen while the Guardians are sending out righty Tanner Bibee to the mound. 

Bibee made four starts against the Tigers this season, with varied success, allowing 11 runs on 19 hits over 22 innings while striking out 19.

With the Tigers going with Holton in Game 2 of their Wild Card win over the Astros we saw them use a total of six different relievers which includes three relievers each going 1.2 innings after Holton tossed a scoreless first.

The “pitching chaos” may be their key to success this postseason given their ability to match pitchers vs hitters to their advantage but will that be enough for them to take Game 1?

 

 

Cleveland Guardians: Can the Guardians Shake off Any Rust?

We talk often about how momentum can be a key factor in the playoffs and while the Tigers were out there playing baseball and winning baseball games the Guardians could do nothing but wait.

With the layoff the Guardians could be dealing with some rust from lack of playing and given the Tigers unique “pitching chaos” strategy, it could be difficult for the Guardian hitters get their timing down which could lead to a Game 1 loss.

 

 

Detroit Tigers: Will “Pitching Chaos” Continue to Lead to Success?

After Tarik Skubal shut down the Astros in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series we saw AJ Hinch implement his “pitching chaos” strategy which he told reporters meant that any pitcher could pitch at any time for a number of innings based on the matchups in the moment.

It's no secret that the Tigers starting rotation after Skubal is a weak link but Hinch realizes his bullpen can be an asset and he is going to ride this strategy as long as he can until Skubal is ready to take the mound.

Will “pitching chaos” be enough to get them a Game 1 win?

 

 

Tigers vs. Guardians Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

We’re about to break down our Tigers vs. Guardians predictions, but first, here are the current Tigers vs. Guardians odds, spreads, totals and betting lines from DraftKings Sportsbook:

Run Line

  • Tigers +1.5 (-185)
  • Guardians -1.5 (+154)

Money Line

  • Tigers: +124
  • Guardians: -180

Total

  • 7.0 (Over +100/Under -120)

 

 

 

Tigers vs. Guardians Starting Pitcher & Lineup

Tyler Holton, Detroit Tigers

Holton is a left-handed reliever that the Tigers have used as an “opener this season”. He has thrown three innings twice this season so there is some ability for him to go deeper than most in games. He threw 1.1 scoreless innings against the Astros.

Holton was really good out of the bullpen this year for the Tigers as a bulk inning reliever, going 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP.

He was especially dominant against the Guardians, tossing 12.1 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts over six games in which he made three starts as an opener.

Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians

Bibee had strong season for the Guardians, going 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA and 187 strikeouts over 173.2 innings.

Bibee faced the Tigers four times this season which included three starts during the month of July. Overall, his numbers against the Tigers were nothing special, owning a 4.50 ERA but he did have a couple of strong outings. 

That said, the Tigers team he is facing right now is not the same Tigers team he faced then.

 

 

Tigers vs. Guardians: Tigers ML (+124 on DraftKings)

For my Tigers vs. Guardians picks today we rolling with the hot team in the Detroit Tigers. I think the approach that Hinch is taking with the “pitching chaos” is going to continue to keep the scoring low against his staff and with the success today's opener Tyler Holton has had against Cleveland this season we are going to see the Tigers have an opportunity to jump out to an early lead against Tanner Bibee.

So, for my Tigers vs. Guardians predictions, we are going with the Tigers on the moneyline over on DraftKings Sportsbook set at +124 odds.

 

 

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