Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians Picks and Prediction for Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Use Code SSWC In Game 1 of the AL Wild Card, the Detroit Tigers are taking on the Cleveland Guardians inside Progressive Field on Tuesday afternoon at 1pmET in our Tigers vs. Guardians prediction. Cleveland won five of the last six games in this series The Tigers ended the regular season with a 4-3 road loss against the Boston Red Sox, while the Guardians won in 10 innings over the Texas Rangers 9-8. The Tigers finished as the third AL Wild Card team with an 87-75 record and are sending left-hander Tarik Skubal to the mound. The Guardians won the AL Central with an 88-74 record and have young righty Gavin Williams getting the ball. First pitch focus — MLB picks for Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians that cut through the noise.
Tigers Looking to Win With Their Ace
The Detroit Tigers are looking to shake off the collapse in the AL Central race as they lost the season finale in a 4-3 road loss against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. The lineup was able to go 9-for-33 with four walks and 10 strikeouts on the day as Javier Baez homered while Andy Ibanez stole a base. The Tigers went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven men on base. Chris Paddack recorded the loss in 4.1 innings, allowing four runs.
The Tigers are sending southpaw Tarik Skubal to pitch and he dominated in the regular season as in 31 starts, he was 13-6 in 195.1 innings with a 2.21 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. He has been one of the best in terms of command as he allowed 33 walks to 241 strikeouts. Skubal faced the Guardians four times this season and was 1-1 in 28.0 innings and gave up four runs (two earned) on 16 hits with one hit by pitch, five walks, and 40 strikeouts.
Injury Report for Detroit
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- Second baseman Colt Keith: Rib Cage (OUT)
- Pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long: Neck (OUT)
- Pitcher Beau Brieske: Forearm (OUT)
- Center fielder Matt Vierling: Oblique (OUT)
- Pitcher Reese Olson: Shoulder (OUT)
- Pitcher Sean Guenther: Hip (OUT)
- Pitcher Jackson Jobe: Flexor (OUT)
- Pitcher Jason Foley: Shoulder (OUT)
- Pitcher Alex Cobb: Hip (OUT)
- Pitcher Ty Madden: Shoulder (OUT)
Guardians Looking to Keep Momentum Rolling
The Cleveland Guardians are gearing up for the playoffs after Sunday’s 9-8 walk-off win against the Texas Rangers to end the regular season. The Guardians were able to go 11-for-36 with four walks and nine strikeouts at the plate as Jhonkensy Noel and Brayan Rocchio each homered while Angel Martinez, Jose Ramirez (x3), and Johnathan Rodriguez all stole bases. Cleveland finished 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position while leaving eight men on base. Logan Allen struggled in a no-decision as he allowed four runs in 4.1 innings.
Young right-hander Gavin Williams is going to be taking the mound for the Cleveland Guardians in this game and did well as he went 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP in 167.2 innings over 31 starts. He has been doing an amazing job in limiting hits, as he had a .211 batting average against during the regular season. Williams faced the Tigers three times during the season and was 2-0 in 17.0 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits with seven walks and 29 strikeouts.
Injury Report for Cleveland
- First baseman David Fry: Nose (OUT)
- Right fielder Nolan Jones: Oblique (OUT)
- Pitcher Nic Enright: Elbow (OUT)
- Center fielder Lane Thomas: Foot (OUT)
- Right fielder Will Brennan: Forearm (OUT)
- Pitcher Andrew Walters: Lat (OUT)
- Pitcher Ben Lively: Forearm (OUT)
- Pitcher John Means: Elbow (OUT)
- Pitcher Sam Hentges: Shoulder (OUT)
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians Pick
Spread Pick for Tigers vs. Guardians
- Detroit Tigers -189 (5 units)
Even though the Cleveland Guardians have all the momentum heading into the AL Wild Card and won the season series 8-5, the Detroit Tigers have one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball on the mound for this game. Tarik Skubal is pitching to a 1.47 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP in his previous seven starts and should be able to continue that dominance on the bump. Since the All-Star break, the Cleveland Guardians were 27th in the bigs with a .683 team OPS so go with Tarik Skubal to dominate and the Detroit Tigers to record a 1-0 series lead.
Over/Under Wild Card Pick for Tigers vs. Guardians
- Under (4 units)
The playoffs mean the pitchers are going to have the advantage as these teams are going to be facing the ace of the staff for both teams. In September, these teams are not hitting too well as the Tigers are 24th in the bigs with a .672 team OPS while the Guardians are 14th with a .720 team OPS in the calendar month. All in all, go with the under as the better bet for this game here.
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