Tigers at Guardians Preview Game 3 | 1:10 PM. EST. 5/10/23

Oh No, Another Lefty!

3 things preview Tigers and Guardians Series Game 3:

1 – Lefty on the mound

The Guardians are facing left-handed starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who earlier this season pitched eight shutout innings against the Guards in Detroit.  Southpaws have given Cleveland fits all year, as the Guards are 4-10 against a left-handed starter.

2 – Peyton Battenfield

Battenfield is on the bump for Cleveland today.  This will be Battenfield’s second time facing the Tigers as he went six innings only giving up one run in a loss back on April 18th in Detroit.  The winning pitcher that day on April 18th was Eduardo Rodriguez, who is starting today for the Tigers.

3 – Scoring early

Cleveland has won three out of four and a big reason why is the Guardians have gotten out to the lead in all four games.  In fact, the Guards have scored in the first inning in three straight.  So even though the Guards are not scoring a lot of runs, they are scoring early.

Guardians Player Notes

This season, Jose Ramirez leads Cleveland with a .386 on-base percentage and 38 total hits. He boasts a .277 batting average and a .445 slugging percentage. Among qualified hitters, he ranks 25th in on-base percentage, 57th in batting average, and 70th in slugging.

Steven Kwan has driven in 12 runs and hit one home run this season. He has a .273 batting average, .365 on-base percentage, and a .350 slugging percentage. Among qualifying hitters, he ranks 50th in on-base percentage, 62nd in batting average, and 144th in slugging percentage. Kwan has been on a hot streak, getting at least one hit in his last four games and posting a .263 batting average with two doubles, a home run, two walks, and an RBI in his last five games.

Josh Bell has recorded 28 base hits this season and has an OBP of .336 and a slugging percentage of .365.

Andres Gimenez has hit two home runs, driven in eight runs, and has a batting average of .214 this season.

Guards Stats and Insights

GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Peyton Battenfield

• When Battenfield starts, his team is 1-3-0 against the spread this season.
• The right-hander gave up two earned runs in seven innings pitched on Friday in his last outing, a matchup with the Minnesota Twins.
• Battenfield’s team is 0-2 this season when he starts and they’re favored on the money line.
• Battenfield’s team is winless in the four games he’s started this season.
• The teams have gone under the point total set by bookmakers in each of the four games Battenfield has started this season.

GUARDIANS HITTING TRENDS

• The Guardians have a 3-1 record this season in games when they hit two or more homers.
• Cleveland has gone 2-1 in its three games this season with at least five extra-base hits.
• The team has strung together eight or more hits in 16 games this season and is 10-6 in those contests.
• Cleveland is 8-2 in games this season when it scored at least five runs.
• The Guardians have drawn five or more walks in 11 games this season, and are 8-3 in those contests.

Tigers Player Notes

With a batting average of .246, Javier Baez has hit five doubles, three home runs, and earned eight walks. He boasts a slugging percentage of .361 and an on-base percentage of .306. Among all qualifying players, Baez ranks 105th in batting average, 126th in on-base percentage, and 136th in slugging percentage.

Spencer Torkelson has hit eight doubles, three home runs, and earned 10 walks, with a batting average of .240. He has a slugging percentage of .372 and an on-base percentage of .299. Among all qualified hitters, Torkelson ranks 112th in batting average, 140th in on-base percentage, and 122nd in slugging percentage.

Riley Greene leads the Tigers in hits with 37 and has a team-high on-base percentage of .329 and a slugging percentage of .387.

Zach McKinstry has hit five doubles, and two home runs, and earned 11 walks while batting .260.

Tigers Stats and Insights

TIGERS PROBABLE PITCHER – Eduardo Rodriquez

• Rodriguez (3-3 with a 1.54 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Tigers, his eighth of the season.
• The lefty’s last appearance was on Thursday against the New York Mets, when he tossed eight scoreless innings while allowing two hits.
• Rodriguez is aiming for his sixth straight outing lasting five or more innings. He averages 7.5 frames per start.
• The Tigers have been the underdog on the money line in six of Rodríguez’s starts this season, and they went 2-4 in those matchups.
• Rodríguez’s team is 3-4 over his seven starts.
• Rodriguez has had seven starts that bookmakers set a total for this season, and two of those games hit the over.

TIGERS HITTING TRENDS

• They have won four of the seven games this season in which they hit two or more home runs.
• Detroit has won four of its five games with five or more extra-base hits this season.
• In 17 games this season with eight or more hits, they have a record of 12-5.
• Detroit has won 10 of its 12 games this season in which it scored more than four runs.
• They have a 4-4 record this season when drawing five or more walks in a game.

Final Thoughts

The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians will play the final game of their three-game series at Progressive Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Guardians are favored to win as they will start Peyton Battenfield, who performed well in his last start, while the Tigers will start Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez has been impressive this season, with a 1.81 ERA and 0.78 WHIP, and has allowed only two runs in his last five starts. Despite the Tigers’ recent improvement, they have scored the third-fewest runs in the Major Leagues. Cleveland has struggled offensively, hitting the fewest home runs and registering the second-fewest runs per game. The game is expected to be low-scoring, and the Tigers are predicted to win.

Based on the last month and both teams struggling to score runs take the under (7.5) runs scored today.