Tigers vs. Guardians picks, predictions and betting preview: Saturday, 7/16

Pickswise provides exclusive sports betting content to MLive.com, including picks, analysis, tools, games, and sportsbook offers to help bettors get in on the action. Please wager responsibly.

The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians play the third game of their four-game weekend series on Saturday night, and our experts made two predictions for their best bets today. Detroit’s Michael Pineda will face off against Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill. Let’s break down our experts’ best bets and parlay for Saturday’s matchup with odds provided by PointsBet Sportsbook.

Betting Market Best bets for Saturday, July 16 Money line prediction Guardians ML (-176) Game totals prediction Under 8.5 (-110) Tigers vs Guardians matchup and betting odds

The Tigers enter Saturday’s contest as +145 money line underdogs at PointsBet Sportsbook, while Cleveland is a -176 money line favorite in game three of their four-game series. If you wager $10 on Detroit’s money line, you’ll win $14.50 if the Tigers win, while a successful $17.60 bet on the Guardians would profit $10.

The total, or over/under for this game is 8.5 runs, with odds at approximately -110 on either side. Let’s dive into the reasoning for both best bets tonight.

Bet up to $500 completely risk-free at PointsBet Sportsbook now! You can claim this offer to place a wager on our experts’ best bet for the Tigers game this Saturday by clicking this link.

Tigers vs. Guardians money line prediction: Guardians ML (-176)

This AL Central showdown features a pitching matchup that isn’t. Michael Pineda enters the game with a 3.58 ERA and 6.46 xERA, which doesn’t give us much confidence in the visitors. On the other side, Cal Quantrill enters with a 3.99 ERA and a 4.72 xERA while striking out just 5 batters per nine innings this season. Neither starting pitcher has stuff that will blow away opposing hitters, and Pineda’s advanced metrics profile is one of the worst in the league. For the season, the Tigers starter ranks near the bottom of the MLB in xERA, xBA allowed, and xSLG allowed.

Pineda is certainly due for more regression than Quantrill, and that makes us lean towards backing the Guardians in Saturday’s contest. Cleveland doesn’t boast a good offense, but Detroit will counter with the worst lineup in baseball, with eight of the usual nine-man lineup hitters posting an OPS+ below 100. Cleveland has the decided advantage in the bullpen and on defense, where the Guardians ranks among the top teams in baseball in Defensive Runs Saved. For that reason, we like backing the Guardians on the money line on Saturday.

New players can click here to sign up with this Pointsbet Sportsbook promo code and lock in this $500 risk-free bet bonus.

Tigers vs. Guardians total over/under prediction: Under 8.5 (-110)

Both starting pitchers don’t bring in great numbers into this one, but the offenses are much worse. The wind is projected to be blowing in from center field, which bodes well for the success of Pineda and Quantrill. The season-long numbers are largely terrible for the Tigers, while the Guardians rank at the bottom of the MLB in avg. exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate. Both teams have a wRC+ among the bottom 10 teams over the past month as well, meaning that this game should feel like a grinder from start to finish. The Tigers bullpen has surprisingly been the best thing about the team this season, as Detroit’s bullpen has a top-10 ERA in 2022. In a game where both offenses could struggle for long stretches, we lean toward backing the under 8.5 runs in this one.

If you or a loved one has questions or needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net for more information.

MORE SPORTS BETTING STORIES

UFC Fight Night Long Island: Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez betting odds and preview

FanDuel Sportsbook promo grants new customers a no sweat first bet

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.