After Thursday's best bet on the Mets made it three winners in a row, MLB handicapper Dalton Brown is targeting a matchup between young starting pitchers on Saturday.
7:10 p.m. ET: Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians: Guardians F5 -0.5 (-105) at PointsBet
The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians will continue their four-game series on Saturday night after splitting a double-header on Friday, and I'm backing the Guards to jump out to an early lead.
Cleveland will send rookie stud Tanner Bibee to the mound, a pitcher who has impressed so far this season. Bibee's 9-2 record and 2.90 ERA are backed by well above average peripherals, and he's been downright dominant since July 1. Over his last eight starts, Bibee has allowed more than two earned runs only once. He posted a 1.78 ERA in July, and he's followed it with a 1.89 mark thus far in August.
Five of his last six starts have come against the Rangers, Phillies, Astros, Rays, and Blue Jays, too - so it's not like he's preying on bottom feeders. Saturday, he'll take on a subpar Tigers lineup and ought to continue his dominant run.
Young righty Matt Manning will pitch for Detroit, a hurler who hasn't found his way yet at the big league level. Manning holds a 5.32 xERA this season, and he's especially struggled since the All-Star Break (5.46 ERA). He has surrendered four or more earned runs in three of his last four starts, and will face a Guardians lineup with a wRC+ of 110 since the All-Star Break against right-handed pitching.
After Friday's double-header, let's not get these bullpens involved. Cleveland's biggest advantage exists in the early innings on Saturday.