The Detroit Tigers face the Cleveland Guardians in their first of 19 AL Central matchups this season. The Tigers (-112) enter as slight favorites over the Guardians (-105) at Progressive Field, with the Over/Under set at 8.5 runs (-120 Over).

Pitching Matchup:

• Tigers: Tarik Skubal (2.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 45 K in 39.2 IP)
• Guardians: Aaron Civale (9.85 ERA, 1.74 WHIP)

Key Stats:

• Guardians batting: .245 AVG, 4.7 runs/game (7th in MLB), MLB-low 260 strikeouts
• Tigers batting: .222 AVG, .603 OPS, MLB-low 20 HR and 105 runs
• Civale vs Tigers in 2021: 3-0, 5 ER in 22.2 IP
• Skubal: 14 consecutive scoreless innings

Game Notes:

• Jose Ramirez (shin) likely out for series opener
• Manager Terry Francona unavailable
• Guardians have lost 5 of last 6 games
• Tigers coming off sweep of Orioles
• Guardians 4.5 games behind AL Central-leading Twins
• Cleveland struggling offensively with 3 or fewer runs in 4 of last 6 games

The Guardians look to snap their recent skid despite missing key personnel, while the Tigers aim to continue their momentum behind Skubal's strong pitching.

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