Series preview: Detroit Tigers head to Cleveland for three

The Detroit Tigers are heading out to Cleveland to face the Indians for a three-game series, here are some things to watch for.

The Detroit Tigers head out to Cleveland to face the Indians for a three-game set. This will be the final time the two teams meet this season. This series will feature the Indians fighting for a playoff spot, while the Tigers will try to get their young players more experience for the future and possibly play spoiler.

Detroit has performed terribly, even by their 2019 standards, against Cleveland this year. They have lost 14 straight games to the Tribe and are 1-15 on the season. Detroit is averaging 3.72 runs per game against Cleveland’s pitching this year whereas Cleveland is averaging 4.73 runs against Detroit’s pitching. The Tigers will need to be more efficient on offense and score when they have opportunities if they hope to win any of these games.

Cleveland is currently five games back in the division and 1.5 games back in the wild card race. Games against the team with the worst record in baseball are undoubtedly something they are considering “must-wins” at the moment. Detroit could help Oakland and Tampa Bay out here by beating the Indians and setting them back further in the wild card race.

The key to Detroit winning is to limit Cleveland’s offensive opportunities. As stated above, Detroit averages 3.72 runs against their pitching, so if Detroit is able to limit Cleveland to less than four runs they should have a good chance at picking up a few wins. This will not be easy, of course, as Cleveland fields a very good offensive lineup and they will be hungry for runs with their playoff hopes on the line.

Zac Reininger will get the first start of the series tonight at 7:10 p.m. EST. Reininger has looked awful this year, with a 0-2 record and an 8.25 ERA over 22 appearances. Detroit is giving him another chance tonight, however, so he will look to get things turned around against a tough Cleveland lineup.