Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 10/1/25, 9:09 AM  by Lou Aguila | Modified on 10/3/25 at 2:00 AM in MLB Picks

After taking a 2-1 win in a nail-biting Game 1, the Detroit Tigers will try to close out the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of their American League Wild Card Series on Wednesday at Progressive Field.

The Tigers are listed as +109 underdogs against the Guardians, who are 18-9 against AL Central teams this year.

Current Form:

The Tigers drew first blood, earning a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three wild card series with the Guardians after ace pitcher and CY Young Award contender Tarik Skubal put on a pitching masterclass through 7.1 innings. Skubal surrendered one earned run and three hits with 14 strikeouts to help the Tigers hack out a 2-1 win in Game 1. First baseman Spencer Torkelson gave Detroit an early 1-0 lead with a single in the first inning before third baseman Zach Mckistry delivered a sacrifice bunt to drive Riley Greene to home plate, breaking a 1-1 tie in the 7th inning.

The Guardians’ backs are now against the wall following the heartbreaking Game 1 loss. Cleveland, the AL Central champions, has to make the necessary adjustments or face eliminations at the hands of their bitter rivals on their home turf. Cleveland is an outstanding pitching team and they proved by holding the Tigers to just two runs in the series opener. Unfortunately, the Guardians’ offense could not deliver the good as they went 4 for 30 against Skubal and the Tigers’ bullpen. Over their last five games, the Guardians have averaged 3.6 runs per game on an ugly .195 batting average.

Starting Pitchers Matchup: Tigers RHP Casey Mize (14-6, 3.97 ERA) vs. Guardians RHP Tanner Bibee (12-11, 4.24 ERA).

Mize has gone 3-2 with a 3.49 ERA in his last five starts. In three starts against Cleveland this year, Mize has logged an average 5.2 innings per game, surrendering 5.0 hits and 1.3 earned runs. Mize conceded three earned runs and seven hits over 5.1 innings in a 7-5 loss to Cleveland on September 16.

Bibee has helped the Guardians win four games in his last five starts, posting an impressive 2.12 ERA. The pitcher has averaged 1.6 earned runs and 6.0 strikeouts over 6.2 innings per game over his last five mound appearances. Against Detroit, Bibee conceded only two earned runs over 19 total innings pitched across three starts this year.