With a big series against the second-place Cleveland Indians, the Detroit Tigers can take a stranglehold on the American League Central this week. <\/p>\n
Bet On Baseball \u2013 Tigers vs. Indians Preview & Pick<\/strong> Detroit Tigers (61-53)<\/strong> They\u2019ll try to do so with their new toy on Tuesday as freshly acquired Doug Fister takes the hill.<\/p>\n So far, so good for Fister, who came over in a trade-deadline deal with the Seattle Mariners. He won his first start as a Tiger, holding the Texas Rangers to three runs, two earned, over seven innings. It was a signature Fister performance in that he had zero walks and zero strikeouts. He ain\u2019t overpowering but he throws strikes.<\/p>\n As his record indicates, Fister has gotten horrific run support in his career because he played for some bad Seattle teams. He\u2019s 0-2 in four starts against Cleveland but has a 3.16 lifetime ERA against the Tribe.<\/p>\n Cleveland Indians (56-56)<\/strong> As the Indians desperately try to stay alive in the AL Central, they turn to their pseudo-ace on Tuesday. Does Justin Masterson deserve that status yet? He isn\u2019t a household name but he\u2019s quietly been excellent in 2011, keeping the ball down while also posting a solid strikeout rate and not walking too many guys. If he had more victories, he\u2019d be in the Cy Young discussion. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\n That said, Masterson has a poor track record against the Tigers. He\u2019s winless over five career starts against them and has a 4.76 lifetime ERA versus Detroit. Wanna take a wild guess as to which guys hit Masterson hard?<\/p>\n Yep, it\u2019s Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Miggy bats .417 with a homer over 12 at-bats versus Masterson and Martinez tags him at a .455 clip over 11 at-bats.<\/p>\n DET are 9-3 in their last 12 Tue. games. It feels to me like the baseball gods are ready to pay back Poor Fister, who has a 13-30 career record despite a very respectable 3.79 ERA. He got the \u201cW\u201d his first time out with Detroit and I think he\u2019s due for another on Tuesday. <\/p>\n Masterson has been great this year but hasn\u2019t beaten the Tigers in two tries. They have his number.<\/p>\n Look for Cabrera and V-Mart to lead Detroit over Cleveland.<\/p>\n
\nDate: <\/strong>Tuesday, August 9, 2011
\nVenue: <\/strong>Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
\nBroadcast: <\/strong>FSD, STO
\nDetroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians Betting Lines from Bodog.com<\/strong>
\nMoney Line: Indians -126 <\/strong>
\nOver\/Under: 7.5<\/strong>
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\nDoug Fister (4-12, 3.29)<\/p>\n
\nJustin Masterson (9-7, 2.63)<\/p>\nMLB Trends<\/h3>\n
\nOver is 35-16-5 in DET last 56 Tue. games.
\nCLE are 2-9 in their last 11 home games.
\nUnder is 6-2 in CLE last 8 Tue. games.
\nUnder is 18-7-1 in CLE last 26 home games.
\nDET are 0-11 in the last 11 meetings in Cleveland.
\nDET are 2-7 in the last 9 meetings.<\/p>\nMLB Free pick: <\/h3>\n