Dave Cokin
Bonus Play Monday 01:05 PM MLB
(919) DETROIT TIGERS at (920) CLEVELAND INDIANS
Take: (920) CLEVELAND INDIANS -113
There’s no such thing as an easy call against David Price. The lefty is one of the best in the game and he can be really difficult off the bad start, as is the case today. But Price draws a terrific opponent here as Indians ace Corey Kluber takes the hill for what is truly a critical series opener.
Price and Kluber breaks down almost dead even. The numbers are very close, so there’s no real advantage to be had on the starting pitching here. But the similarities pretty much end there.
The Tigers are simply not a good baseball team at the present time. The offense is being severely hindered with the apparent injury-induced slump that’s afflicting Miguel Cabrera. It’s the second straight season Miggy has broken down late in the season, and the bad news for the Tigers is that this latest problem is likely going to cause Cabrera to miss several games this September. This is a team that has to win with starting pitching and offense, as the bullpen has been a horror show all season. But the rotation has taken some significant hits and now the offense isn’t nearly as daunting as it was previously.
As for the Indians, they’re not much against lefties, and that has to be a concern of sorts here. But the Tribe is on a roll right now and manager Terry Francona is managing his bullpen as if it’s already the playoffs rather than the regular season. I think that’s a real plus, even on days when it doesn’t work out. Make no mistake, I see Francona’s September experience and success for the most part as a definite plus for the Tribe over this final month of the campaign.
As for today’s game, I won’t call it an overwhelming edge, but I do think there’s more to like about the Indians than the Tigers. The biggest key might well be the momentum factor. The Indians are off a really good weekend at Kansas City that got them very much back into the AL Central race, and they should take the field with loads of confidence. The Tigers, meanwhile, were only able to salvage a split against the lowly White Sox and I don’t see the lack of big game experience for manager Brad Ausmus as anything other than a potential liability. There certainly is not a problem with the current price here, so I’ll be siding with Kluber and the Indians to capture this crucial series opener.
