The Detroit Tigers (33-20) host the Cleveland Guardians (29-22) on Sunday, May 25, 2025. First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. ET; the game will be broadcast on Roku.
Get ready for an early first pitch in Detroit. The Tigers have ace Tarik Skubal taking the mound against Logan Allen and the Guardians. Detroit is a -292 moneyline favorite with the game total at 7.
Find my Guardians vs Tigers prediction for the Sunday series finale below.
Guardians vs Tigers Prediction, Spread Pick
- Guardians vs Tigers pick: Tigers -1.5 (play to -125)
My Guardians vs Tigers best bet is the Tigers to cover the spread (-1.5). Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Guardians vs Tigers Odds
| Guardians Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 +105 | 7 -115o / -105u | +235 |
| Tigers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -125 | 7 -115o / -105u | -292 |
Guardians vs Tigers Projected Starting Pitchers
| Tarik Skubal (DET) | Stat | Logan Allen (CLE) |
|---|---|---|
| 4-2 | W-L | 2-2 |
| 2.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.6 |
| 2.87/2.77 | ERA /xERA | 3.86/4.33 |
| 2.19/2.24 | FIP / xFIP | 3.91/4.92 |
| 0.94 | WHIP | 1.53 |
| 11.3 | K-BB% | 1.6 |
| 38.6% | GB% | 42.8% |
| 119 | Stuff+ | 93 |
| 111 | Location+ | 93 |
Guardians vs Tigers Preview, Prediction
Detroit Tigers Betting Preview: Happy Skubal Day!
It’s another Tarik Skubal day in Detroit!
If you expected a letdown year for Skubal after winning the Cy Young, I guess you'll keep waiting. The reigning Cy Young winner is pacing for a better year this year. While Skubal has a 2.87 ERA compared to 2.39 last year, his FIP is 2.19 and his xFIP is 2.24. And more importantly, Skubal is punching out 11.92 batters per nine and has a 1.06 BB/9. He’s been otherworldly filthy.
Skubal is coming off two starts that prove he's human. Two starts ago, the Red Sox tallied five runs off the flamethrowing lefty, but he punched out 11 hitters and the Tigers won. In his last outing, the Cardinals scored three off Skubal in 5 2/3 innings and he punched out eight.
The Tigers looked like one of the best offensive teams in baseball in April. However, regression has recently hit Detroit, ranking 19th with a 101 wRC+ since May 10th. Detroit is a free-swinging team, and it's been to their detriment this month. It ranks bottom ten in MLB with a 23.7% strikeout rate and bottom five with a 7% walk rate.
Most of the Tigers' left-handed bats are virtual non-factors against lefties. That will force Manager AJ Hinch to pivot towards a right-handed heavy lineup with Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith sitting for Andy Ibanez and Justin-Henry Malloy. Despite their best hitter, Riley Greene and another right-basher, Carpenter, not hitting lefties, they still have seven hitters who boast a wRC+ above 110. Gleyber Torres leads Detroit with a 206 wRC+ and Spencer Torkelson has six homers and a 183 wRC+.
Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview: What's Cooler Than Being Cool?
Skubal is one of the elite "stuff" pitchers in MLB. That's the polar opposite of Guardians starter Logan Allen, who seldom touches more than 92 mph on his fastball. Allen is a fly-ball pitcher who uses his 76th-percentile hard-hit rate to get teams out. Allen's propensity for fly-balls favors him at Comerica Park more than other parks, thanks to its pitcher-friendly dimensions.
It's a constant tight-rope walking act for Allen, as he posts an elevated 1.53 WHIP. His other numbers aren't awful, posting a 3.86 ERA with a 4.33 xERA, a 3.91 FIP, and 4.92 xFIP. His expected stats are elevated due to his sky-high 4.26 BB/9. The difference for Allen this year is dropping his HR/9 to 0.63 from 2.03 in 20 starts last year. Now, since he's a fly-ball-heavy pitcher, time will tell if that's a sustainable number.
The Guardians' offense has gone ice-cold over the past two weeks. They magically got a nice lift from the bottom of the order mid-way through April, but that's disappeared. The only three hitters with a wRC+ better than 100 in April are the usual suspects — Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, and Steven Kwan.
They rank bottom four in home runs and batting average in their past 12 games. Good luck putting that to the test versus Skubal, who should coast through this Guardians lineup with ease.
Guardians vs Tigers Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Tigers have won seven of Skubal's last eight outings, but we're getting a little added value to the run line since they won each of his last three by one run.
Run support hasn't been an issue, as Detroit scored five and six runs in Skubal's last two games, but he didn't pitch well enough. He'll pitch well this time around and Allen could struggle to contain the Tigers' lineup.
Pick: Tigers -1.5 (play to -125)
Moneyline
I have no bet on the moneyline.
Run Line (Spread)
My best bet for this game is Detroit to cover the spread.
Over/Under
I'm passing on betting the game total.
