Guardians, Tigers American League Best Bets for July 11

There are multiple games today beginning this afternoon on the American League schedule, and there’s value to target in these spots. Below, you can find both games from the American League and some of our best bets on the FanDuel Sportsbook.Chicago White Sox (-112) vs. Cleveland Guardians (-104) Total: 9.5 (O +100, U -122)

The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians will kick off a four-game series over the next three days. The White Sox salvaged a split with the Detroit Tigers over the weekend, while the Guardians lost two-of-three games to the Kansas City Royals. Cleveland enters this series struggling over their past ten games, with a 2-8 record, while the White Sox are 6-4 over that same stretch. Both teams currently sit more than a handful of games away from the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins, meaning this series could go a long way in getting one closer to a playoff spot.

The opening pitching matchup of this series has potential, but there’s still a relatively decent-sized total, currently set at nine and a half. In the series opener, Lance Lynn of the White Sox is set to be opposed by Cal Quantrill of the Guardians. Lynn hasn’t been fully healthy for most of this season which got him off to a late start. He currently holds a 1-1 record with a 5.33 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Quantrill has been solid for the Guardians, posting a 4-5 record with a 3.86 ERA and 55 strikeouts. Even with Lynn being a veteran and starting to get back on track, Quantrill should hold an advantage in this pitching matchup for the home side. 

The Guardians are better at home this year with a 20-17 record, but they’ll also enter this contest as underdogs, meaning there’s likely some value. It’s no secret that Cleveland has been struggling, but they have one of their more consistent arms on the bump tonight at home. With that, consider the moneyline, which presents a nice price of -104. 

Best Bet: Guardians moneyline (-104)

The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will play Game 2 of a double-header tonight from Kauffman Stadium. The Tigers split a four-game series with the White Sox over the weekend, while the Royals took two-of-three games from Cleveland. The Tigers enter this series with a 7-3 record over their past ten games, while the Royals are 5-5 over that same sample. There hasn’t been much to like about either of these teams, but they’ve been playing solid baseball in July. Even with their poor records, there’s still some potential for an exciting series with plenty of young talent on both sides. 

Keep in mind that this selection is only focused on Game 2 of this double-header, which also has the potential to be of the high-scoring variety. The second pitching matchup of this series will feature Alex Faedo of the Tigers taking on Daniel Lynch of the Royals. Neither of these arms has shown any consistency through three months of the season, with Faedo owning a 1-4 record with a 5.02 ERA and 42 strikeouts, while the Royals left-hander is 3-7 with a 4.95 ERA and 65 strikeouts.

The Royals hitters have yet to face Faedo, while the Tigers have had moderate success against Lynch in their prior meetings. Not only have the Tigers hit Lynch before, but they also are much better against left-handed starters, holding a .704 OPS against them this year compared to a .598 against right-handers. This should give the Tigers an advantage in Game 2 tonight, which means we should target the plus-money value they currently offer on the moneyline at +118. 

Best Bet: Tigers moneyline (+118)