Monday Night Baseball: Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians: Game Time, TV/Radio Coverage, Lineup

May 3, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; General view of the scoreboard during a video review in the sixth inning of the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Indians were not an entirely unpopular preseason choice to supplant the Detroit Tigers atop the American League Central Division, but they’re struggling to repeat last year’s 92-win performance. It’s still early enough in the season — roughly a quarter of the way in — but the Tribe find themselves in fifth place at 19-25, 10.5 games back of the Tigers.

Detroit Tigers (27-12) at Cleveland Indians (19-25) — 7:05 PM EDT

Progressive Field — Cleveland, OH

TV: FSD (local), ESPN (national)

Radio: 97.1 The Ticket (click for radio affiliates)

Weather: 62 degrees, partly cloudy

When We Last Met

The Tigers split what ended up being just a two-game series at Comerica Park back on April 16 and 17 (game one was rained out). Detroit exited the series with a 7-5 record and a 0.5 game lead in the division. They’re 20-7 since that series and have taken a commanding seven-game lead in the divisoin (over Kansas City).

Pitching Matchup

A spoiled Tigers fan like myself might first attempt to write that Drew Smyly has been (perhaps) the team’s most inconsistent starter. This may or may not be true, but a truer analysis might be that he’s been very good nonetheless. His true talent level as a starter might not be as good as his 2.70 ERA suggests, but his his peripheral numbers, underscored by a 3.82 FIP and 3.76 xFIP, paint the portrait of a starter who would be welcome in the middle of most any rotation around the league.

Corey Kluber has been excellent for Cleveland so far this season. In nine starts (58.2 innings) he’s struck out 66 batters, walked just 13, and surrendered only three home runs. An elevated (.358) BABIP may be artificially elevating his ERA (to the extent that 3.38 can be “elevated”), but his underlying numbers are downright nasty (2.20 FIP, 2.68 xFIP).

Tigers Lineup

Release of today’s lineup has been delayed due to the Tigers’ late departure from Boston and subsequent late arrival in Cleveland. Lineup will be posted below shortly after it’s made available.

Injuries

Tigers

• Luke Putkonen – 15-day DL
• Joel Hanrahan – 15-day DL
• Andy Dirks – 60-day DL
• Jose Iglesias – 60-day DL
• Bruce Rondon – 60-day DL

Indians

• Jason Giambi – 15-day DL
• Jason Kipnis – 15-day DL
• Nyjer Morgan – 15-day DL