Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians Game 5: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

It’s been a riveting series between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians, which will go the distance and feature a Game 5 on Saturday night.

It’s a win-or-go-home game and the Tigers wasted no time announcing their starting pitcher.

Detroit will start Tarik Skubal, the Triple-Crown winner and soon-to-be Cy Young winner in the American League. The decision won't be as easy for the Guardians, and they are still weighing their options, but we have a good guess as to who it could be.

Let's preview this Game 5 and see who our expert picks to move on to the ALDS.

Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians Game 5 betting picks and predictions

Tigers ML (-124)

Regardless of who the Guardians start, the Tigers will have the pitching advantage with Skubal on the mound. Skubal had a historic season for the Tigers as he posted a 2.39 ERA and 2.70 xERA in 31 starts en route to winning the Triple Crown in the American League and is more than likely to win the Cy Young award, too.

Skubal's success continued into October and he's been a main reason for why the Tigers are in a position to advance to the ALCS. The lefty's first start of the postseason came in the Wild Card against the Astros and he threw 6 scoreless innings and allowed just four hits while striking out six.

He followed it up with another scoreless outing against the Guardians in Game 2, and this time, he allowed just three hits and struck out eight. That means the lefty has surrendered just one run and 13 hits in 14 innings against the Guardians in 2024.

He's been the workhorse that the Tigers have desperately needed, and he should have a long leash since he's the best pitcher they have and because the bullpen has been heavily used in the last few days.

The Guardians were able to send this series to a Game 5 with a 5-4 win over the Tigers in Game 4. Tanner Bibee started strong for the Guards and the elite bullpen covered the rest of the way.

Their win on Thursday night will send the series back to Cleveland for the decisive Game 5, and although they have not announced a starter just yet, we have a pretty good idea who it will be.

Matthew Boyd was Skubal's counterpart in Game 2 and he is the most rested starter that the Guardians have. He also looked fantastic in Game 2 as he went 4.2 innings and allowed just 4 hits and no runs. Still, the Tigers have the pitching advantage with Skubal on the hill.

Plus, the Tigers offense has come alive in this series. It's a scrappy lineup that has been more reliable than Cleveland's, considering the Guardians went 20 consecutive innings without scoring a run at one point in this series. I'm taking Skubal and the Tigers to win Game 5 and advance to the ALCS.

Under 6 (-110)

Two things have happened every time Skubal has taken the mound in the postseason. One, the Tigers have won both times. Two, the under has won both times.

There were only four combined runs during Game 1 of the Wild Card Series series against the Astros and then just three runs against the Guardians in Game 2. No matter the offense, it's hard to string hits together against Skubal.

Plus, he is known to go deep into games and take a lot of pressure off of the bullpen. AJ Hinch's goal is to get Skubal to go six innings and then use Will Vest, Tyler Holton, and Jason Foley to close out the game.

It's worked plenty of times all season and has been extremely effective in the postseason. Lastly, it's important to mention that Skubal has not allowed a run in 24 consecutive innings. That spans over 4 different starts, and he's thrown three consecutive scoreless outings against the Guardians, Astros, and Rays.

The last time he allowed a run was in the 1st inning against the Royals on September 18.

Boyd should be the starter, and although he's not Skubal, he's still a very effective starter.

He posted a 2.72 ERA in eight starts for the Guardians in the regular season and became an important piece of the rotation down the stretch.

He made his first postseason start in Game 2 of this series and held the Tigers scoreless in 4.2 innings. If he can do that again, it will be a bullpen effort from there on as every arm should be available.

Pitching has been the story of the series so far and that should be the case in Game 5.

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Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians Game 5 odds

Detroit Tigers	-124 ML
Cleveland Guardians	+106 ML
Run Line	Tigers -1.5 (+155)
Total	O/U 6

Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians Game 5 player props

Player Home Run Odds

Jose Ramirez (CLE)	+520
Spencer Torkelson (DET)	+520
Riley Greene (DET)	+630
David Fry (CLE)	+680
Jhonkensy Noel (CLE)	+750
Lane Thomas (CLE)	+750

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.