After losing their first two games of their series against the Detroit Tigers, the Boston Red Sox finally got on the board with a 7-5 win yesterday. Those seven runs were the most the Sox have scored this season. They came into that game averaging just 3.5 runs.
A big part of the Red Sox offense’s slow start has been the absence of Mookie Betts, who missed the previous three games due to the flu. But he made his way back to the Boston batting order, and went 0-of-3 with two walks. Betts is 0-of-9 lifetime against Detroit starter Justin Verlander. No one in the Red Sox order has a home run against the Tigers righty, and Mitch Moreland has the most RBI with four.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox will have their own ace in Chris Sale starting tonight. The lefty had a terrific debut for Boston against Pittsburgh, as he went seven innings of shutout baseball, with just three hits allowed and seven strikeouts.
Sale obviously has a lot of experience facing the Tigers during his time in Chicago. In 19 starts against Detroit, he went 8-7 with a 3.05 ERA. However, the White Sox went just 2-7 in Sale’s nine career starts at Comerica.
The Tigers bullpen must take the blame for yesterday’s loss to the Red Sox. The offense (five runs on 13 hits) and starter Daniel Norris (6.1 innings, three ER) did their part, but Bruce Rondon and Kyle Ryan combined to give up four runs in the loss.
The Tigers offense has gotten off to a good start. They already have eight homers through five games, with James McCann and Nick Castellanos both hitting two apiece. Miguel Cabrera (2-of-17) and Victor Martinez (4-of-16) still haven’t gotten going, but Ian Kinsler (.375/.524/.625) has picked up the slack.
Cabrera, Kinsler, and Martinez all have over 40 at-bats against Sale, and will look to provide the most damage for Detroit. Cabrera and Martinez both have four homers against the lefty, and have 15 total RBI.
Justin Verlander will get his second start of the season. The Tigers ace started on Opening Day, and gave up two runs on six hits in 6.1 innings in a 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Verlander has started in Fenway Park seven times in his career. However, the Tigers are just 4-3 in those starts despite Verlander giving up one run or fewer in five of those starts, including just two runs combined in his last 20 innings in Boston.
Writer’s Prediction
Verlander outduels Sale as the Tigers (-110) top the Red Sox, 4-3.
