Justin Verlander (1-4, 5.05 ERA) and Henry Owens (0-1, 5.40 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Detroit Tigers (53-56) and the Boston Red Sox (49-61) at Comerica Park. The Tigers won the last game 7-6 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 1:08 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 9 and can be seen on NESN and FSDT.
Verlander pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs and striking out five in a 5-1 defeat to the Royals. Miguel Cabrera (.350, 43 Rs, 15 HRs, 54 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 2 with one RBI. Owens went 5.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking one in a 13-3 defeat to the Yankees in his most recent start. David Ortiz (.247, 46 Rs, 23 HRs, 65 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Red Sox, going 3 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs.
Detroit is a -118 favorite against Boston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Tigers have an overall money line of -473 and a record as the favorite of 31-25. The Tigers have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the AL in offense with 4.4 runs per game. The Tigers lead the AL in hits with an impressive 9.6 per game.
In games where it is the underdog, Boston has a 19-26 record and an overall money line of -1,870. The Red Sox are tough outs for opponents, ranking fifth in the AL with 8.8 hits per game. Boston is excellent at drawing walks with 3.0 per road game, ranking fourth in the AL.
The Red Sox lead the season series, 3-2. The Tigers have a 14-11 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Owens takes the mound. Verlander (RHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 37-43 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Det, O/U – Over
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the Boston, the Tigers now have eight shutouts this season. The Red Sox have been shut out in seven games this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Tigers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Red Sox have a 5-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 7-40. The Red Sox have a 10-50 record when opponents outhit them.
Boston ranks in the bottom half of the league at 16th when it comes to home runs, hitting 99 this season. Detroit ranks in the top half at 11th with 110.
Ranking first in hits, Detroit has earned 9.55 per game this season. Boston ranks fifth with 8.82 hits.
Ranking 13th, Boston is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.713). Detroit ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .764.
The Red Sox are 22-51 when they allow at least one home run. The Tigers perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 25-45 record.
