First Five Bet For Guardians Vs. Tigers Game 4

Guardians vs. Tigers, 6:08 ET

I want my money back. That's what I told myself today after dropping an 0-for-3 day yesterday. Look, I could tell you that I went 2-0 on Monday and 2-0 on Tuesday, so we are still up, but that's not enough. I want to get that money from yesterday that I lost, back into my pocket. It doesn't happen often, but those bad days do occur. I have a lot of confidence that I'll bounce back here in Game 4 between the Guardians and the Tigers.

The Guardians are one game away from being bounced out of the playoffs. This series has seen them look great to start it, but they haven't scored a run in 20 innings at this point. I never really would've put the Cleveland offense too high on the list of good offensive teams, but they were at least much more consistent than this in the regular season. Sure, most of their production relies on Jose Ramirez who is hitting just .111 for the series, but the team should have more options than just him. If you look at Steven Kwan, he's 5-for-11, getting a hit in each game, and three yesterday. If your leadoff man is on three times you really need to find a way to score some runs. The Guardians hope for the game obviously needs to be that their offense can finally break out of this brutal stretch. In order to give them a chance, though, they need Tanner Bibee to be as strong for them now as they were down the stretch. Bibee put together a great season for the Guardians. Bibee went 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. All of his numbers were in the top-30 of baseball, positioning himself as a front of the rotation starter. In Game 1, Bibee was very solid, going 4.2 innings, allowing just four hits, no runs, and striking out six hitters. Can he do it again here today? There really isn't a choice. He faced the Tigers twice in Detroit and went at least six innings in both, allowing two earned ones in one game and four in the other. 

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 02: Spencer Torkelson #20 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates after scoring in the eighth inning against the Houston Astros during Game Two of the Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park on October 02, 2024 in Houston, Texas.  (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

It sounds a bit shocking to say, but the Tigers are a win away from making the American League Championship Series. I feel like it happens every year that a team gets hot at the right time and finds their way through the playoffs, but this is pretty remarkable. This team was selling pieces at the trade deadline, assuming that they were not going to be able to make the playoffs. After preparing for "next year" the team turned that into preparing for this year and seeing where they could go. For a team whose offense looked suspect for most of the season, they ended with decent enough numbers and maybe I should've given them a bit more credit. They once again haven't chosen who will start today's game. They've employed something they call "pitching chaos" which allows them to use starters as relievers or as a closer, and relievers as if they are starters or to take on bulk innings. In a short series it can be a great approach because you can rely more on matchups and situations. Tarik Skubal is their only truly reliable starter, so this makes sense as an approach and has clearly thrown off the Guardians offense. 

The Tigers are at home, have the momentum, and the Guardians aren't hitting. For some reason, my gut tells me that they extend the series and go back to Cleveland. I'm going to play this a bit more cautiously and take the Guardians through five innings on the moneyline. That way if the Cleveland offense still sputters but Bibee pitches well, I at least have the chance at a push. I'll take them through five here.

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