Matt Boyd (4-2, 4.16 ERA) and Clay Buchholz (4-9, 5.66 ERA) take the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Detroit Tigers (63-57) and the Boston Red Sox (67-52) at Comerica Park. The Red Sox come into this series riding a six-game winning streak. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 18 and can be seen on NESN and FSDT.
Boyd pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out three and walking two in a 2-0 win over the Rangers. J.D. Martinez (.310, 45 Rs, 16 HRs, 45 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 4. Buchholz went 4.1 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out one and walking three in a 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks in his last outing. Mookie Betts (.317, 96 Rs, 28 HRs, 89 RBIs, 19 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday with three runs and one stolen base.
Boston is a narrow -110 favorite over Detroit. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at nine runs for this matchup. The Tigers have an overall money line of +1,126 and a record as the underdog of 32-41. The Tigers have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.4 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.6 runs per game.
In games where it is the favorite, Boston has a 50-37 record and an overall money line of -151. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 7-2 record and a 7-3 record SU. Offensively, they average 5.5 runs per game, which the best in the AL. The Red Sox are tough outs for opponents, leading the AL with 10.0 hits per game. Boston is excellent at making contact with just 7.1 strikeouts per game, ranking third in the AL.
The Tigers have the edge in the season series, 3-0. The Tigers have a 46-39 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Buchholz takes the mound. Boyd (LHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 14-13 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS, O/U – Over
Notes
Having scored one run in their last game, the Tigers are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Red Sox have a 13-0 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
The Red Sox are coming into the game with six consecutive wins, while the Tigers currently have a losing streak of three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Red Sox are 59-15. The Tigers have a 48-11 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking first in runs, Boston has earned 656 this season. Detroit ranks 10th with 553 runs.
Ranking 18th, Detroit is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 351 this season. Boston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 402.
When the Tigers hit at least one home run, they are 51-33, well-matched with the Red Sox who are 55-35 when hitting one or more homers.
