MLB Baseball
2025-10-01 - Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : MLB Baseball Playoff Wild Card Game 2
Wednesday 1st October 2025 - Scheduled 1:08pm
6:08pm (British Time)
Preview
Once the schedule moves from the regular season into the Playoffs, every pitch is going to be analysed and every mistake feels that much greater than it would have done a week ago.
It is certainly how the Cleveland Guardians would have felt after Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against Divisional rivals Detroit Tigers.
Both starting pitchers set the table for a victory, but the Guardians made two errors that led to unearned runs crossing Home Plate and that is telling in a 2-1 loss. Even then, the Guardians had a player on Third Base with no outs recorded at the bottom of the Ninth Inning, but a hit that could have landed almost anywhere, but where it did, ultimately cost the Guardians with the Runner tagged out at Home and the Series is now in the favour of the Detroit Tigers.
Since the introduction of the expanded Wild Card Round in 2022, road teams already held an edge with an 8-4 win in those previous Series. Game 1 losing teams are 2-10 in Game 2 and none of those teams have actually made it out of the Wild Card Round into the Divisional Series.
The Guardians will give the ball to Tanner Bibee who finished the regular season with a 12-11 record and 4.24 ERA, but someone who is familiar with the Tigers batting lineup. Last season he pitched two Playoff games against Detroit and gave up two runs in over 8 Innings thrown, while Bibee completed his regular season by throwing 12 Innings against the Tigers and allowing just two runs.
All of that will give the starter some confidence, but the pressure is on and Tanner Bibee will not be asked to go too long if things take a turn.
Confidence in the starter will come from the fact that Tanner Bibee pitched in four games in September and concluded the month with a 1.30 ERA.
The Tigers will counter by handing the ball to Casey Mize who had a 14-6 record and 3.87 ERA in the regular season and who will feel he has something to prove. He was the unfortunate pitcher left off the roster when these two teams met in the Divisional Round of the 2024 Playoffs and so Casey Mize has a few demons to exorcise.
Casey Mize ended the regular season in a little bit more erratic form having compiled a 3-2 record across his last eight starts, but while holding a 4.74 ERA.
He faced the Cleveland Guardians in September and allowed three runs into the Sixth Inning, but Mize did not factor into the decision. Prior to that outing, Casey Mize faced this Divisional rival two other times in the regular season and allowed a single run in 12 Innings thrown.
Prediction
A sixth team was called up into the Major League Baseball Playoffs from both the American and National League in 2022 and that has meant four Wild Card Series.
Those have been dominated by the road team, but the real trend is that Game 1 winners have tended to move through to the Divisional Round without needing a deciding contest.
It will be the aim for the Detroit Tigers who had a strong showing from Tarik Skubal on Tuesday, but also benefited from a couple of errors from the home team.
Even then, the game was incredibly close and Cleveland should have the confidence to bounce back.
Both starting pitchers have been in decent enough form, especially when facing the opposition batting lineup. However, the Guardians may have more faith in getting after Detroit if they can get into the bullpen much earlier than they did in Game 1 and Tanner Bibee may go alittle longer than Casey Mize to help set up a Game 3 'win or go home' situation for Thursday.
The Pick :
Cleveland Guardians 4-2 Detroit Tigers
