The set-up: The Tigers will attempt not to get swept in this three-game series at Cleveland tonight on ESPN. Detroit lost 11-2 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday, falling 10 games below .500 (38-48) and nine games behind the AL Central-leading Indians, who are 47-39. The Tigers are 9-19 since June 8, while the defending AL champs are 16-8 since June 15. Cleveland leads the AL with a 3.77 team ERA, and their starting pitchers own a 1.96 ERA in their last seven games. Getting back to Detroit, manager Brad Ausmus is emphasizing that there is still the second half of the season to play. "It's a 162-game season and this team is built for 162 games," he said. "I'm confident the guys will bounce back." Methinks that Ausmus is 'whistling past the graveyard!'

The pitching matchup: Detroit's Michatel Fulmer (8-6, 3.20 ERA) was the AL rookie-of-the-year in 2016 (11-7, 3.06 ERA with Detroit going 19-7 in his starts for a plus-$1292 moneyline mark which ranked sixth-best) and will square off against 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber (7-3, 2.85 ERA), who was a postseason pitching star for the Indians in 2016. Fulmer has not matched last season's success but he will be representing Detroit in Tuesday's All Star game. The same can be said of Kluber, who has been brilliant in his seven starts since coming off the DL. Kluber has gone 4-1 (the score in the one loss was 1-0), while posting a 1.24 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .155 BA since June 1. He's struck out 10-plus batters in six of those seven starts, with a KW ratio in that span of 74-8!

The pick: While Kluber has been close to un-hittable lately, the Indians are just 4-3 in his dominating seven-start span. Yes, Cleveland's won the first two of this series but the Indians are still only 21-23 at home, easily giving them MLB's worst home moneyline mark of minus-$2046 (SF is next-worst at minus-$1053). The Indians are way too high of a favorite to play in the game but with two All Star pitchers squaring off, the Under earns a 10* rating.