Boston’s off to a 2-0 start to the season and will look to stay perfect on Friday afternoon at Comerica Park, where the team opens up a four-game series with the Tigers.
Chris Sale made a strong impression in his debut for the Red Sox last Wednesday night, pitching seven scoreless innings while striking out seven. Boston is now hoping for the same performance, this time from Steven Wright who takes the hill for the first time this season.
Wright went 13-6 with a 3.33 ERA last year, including a 6-4 record with a 2.09 ERA during his starts on the road. He is only 0-1 with a 10.00 ERA in two career starts versus Detroit—that’s not a good sign.
With that said, the Red Sox will likely have to win this opener through their offense that ranked first in scoring (5.42 runs per game) a year ago. Catcher Sandy Leon has been solid in the first two games, going 5-for-8 with three RBIs, one double and one homer.
Following an 11-2 road loss against the White Sox, Detroit hands the ball to Michael Fulmer in its home opener.
Fulmer was one of last season’s biggest revelations, finishing with an 11-7 win-loss record and a 3.06 ERA while being named as the American League Rookie of the Year. The question now is: Can he carry, or build on, that success into this season?
The 24-year-old righty performed well in 10 home starts during his rookie season, going 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA. He, however, is 0-1 with a 6.08 ERA across two career starts against the Red Sox.
Meanwhile, Ian Kinsler’s been carrying the load offensively thus far, leading the Tigers in batting (.400), homers (1), OBP (.625) and hits (2) through two games this season. Detroit is 6-4 SU in its last 10 meetings with Boston.
