The Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers meet in Game 3 of their best-of-5 ALDS Wednesday at Comerica Park. First pitch is scheduled for 3:08 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s MLB odds around the Guardians vs. Tigers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Playoffs series: Tied 1-1; Guardians won regular-season series 7-6
Cleveland won Game 1 on Saturday 7-0 as the favorite (-128) cashed, while the total (7) pushed at most shops. In Game 2, Detroit returned the favor with a 3-0 win behind LHP Tarik Skubal as slight road favorites (-122) as the Under (6) again connected.
The Guardians swept a 2-game series at Comerica Park July 29-30, while the Tigers took 3 of 4 games in a set July 8-11. The Over has cashed in 4 of the past 5 meetings at Comerica Park, while the Under has hit in 5 of the past 6 in the series, including the 1st 2 games of this playoff set.
The Tigers are hosting their 1st playoff game at Comerica Park since 2014.
It’s been longer since Guardians RHP Alex Cobb made a postseason appearance, last pitching in the playoffs for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013, including a start against Cleveland in a Wild Card win.
A torn fingernail on his right index finger and a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand limited him to just 3 regular-season starts, and he hasn’t appeared since Sept. 1. He worked his way into shape with a 4-inning simulated game.
The Tigers have not announced a pitcher as of time of publishing.
Guardians at Tigers projected starters
RHP Alex Cobb vs. TBD
Cobb (2-1, 2.76 ERA) made 3 regular-season starts. He had a 1.04 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9 and 5.5 K/9 in 16 1/3 IP.
- Last start: Win, 6 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K in 6-1 home victory vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Sept. 1
- 2024 road splits (regular season): Loss, 4 2/3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 9 H (1 HR), 1 BB, 12 K in 6-3 setback at Minnesota in only road start
- Career vs. Tigers: 3-2, 2.91 ERA (46 1/3 IP, 15 ER), 1.40 WHIP, 8.4 K/9 in 8 starts
Tigers did not have a starting pitcher listed at time of publishing
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Guardians at Tigers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of MLB odds. Lines last updated at 5:27 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Guardians -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Tigers -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Guardians -1.5 (+155) | Tigers +1.5 (-190)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7 (O: -120 | U: +100)
Guardians at Tigers picks and predictions
Prediction
Guardians 3, Tigers 2
Moneyline
The GUARDIANS (-110) are worth playing lightly behind Cobb. While he doesn’t have a lot of Games under his belt this season, he appears to be back to 100 percent Healthy, and manager Stephen Vogt trusts him so much that he left RHP Ben Lively, who made 29 starts, off the ALDS roster.
We know what we’re getting with the Guardians, but we’re uncertain who will start for the Tigers. It could be an opener, but there is uncertainty when it’s not Skubal on the bump.
Run line/Against the spread
Backing the Tigers +1.5 (-190) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, if you need a little insurance and can’t back Detroit straight up.
The best thing to do is PASS, and focus on the moneyline.
Over/Under
UNDER 7 (+100) at even-money is worth a look in Game 3.
While Cobb is a little bit of an unknown, since he hasn’t pitched in 5 weeks, and we don’t even know who Detroit will roll with, the Under has cashed in a pair of shutout wins for each team in this series.
Detroit has cashed low at a 3-0-1 pace in the postseason, while the Under is 8-1-2 in the past 11 Games since Sept. 22.
For Cleveland, the Under is 6-0-1 in the past 7 games, while going 13-2-2 in the past 17 outings, and 21-3-4 in the past 28 contests.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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