Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers: Odds, Prediction
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Sports Interaction Staff
The finale of a three-game mid-week set has first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET between the Boston Red Sox (15-21) and Detroit Tigers (18-19) from Comerica Park.
The Red Sox have taken the first two games of this series with a 5-4 win on Monday, followed by a 10-3 laugher that had the Sox score all 10 runs by the top of the fourth inning. Tigers starter Framber Valdez was ejected after hitting Boston’s Trevor Story, causing both benches to empty with no further incident.
Wednesday’s game could have some more fireworks, so let’s break it all down and provide our best bet for the game.
The Red Sox are slim -115 favourites to win on the MLB odds, with the total set at 8.5.
Betting Analysis
This is a matchup of two middling offences, but Detroit has the commanding edge on Boston in terms of OPS, with Detroit having the ninth-highest (.728) compared to Boston’s fourth-worst (.671) OPS in baseball. Straight up, the Red Sox are 5-2 in their last seven games against the Tigers, and on the road, the total has gone over in the last five games against Detroit.
At home, Detroit has been excellent at home despite losing the first two games of the series, as outside of this series, they’re 13-3 in their previous 16 games at home.
Boston Red Sox
Boston finds itself at the bottom of the AL East, which is no surprise given that they’ve cleaned house on a large number of their staff, including former manager Alex Cora. The Red Sox find themselves a game behind both the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles for third place, but Boston has a lot of work to do in the early part of the season. The Sox are 6-4 in their last 10 games, but ultimately, they’re not a great team and will struggle to score runs on occasion. At least Willson Contreras is mashing, with eight home runs and 22 RBI. Outside of Contreras and Wilyer Abreu (.878 OPS, team-leading 41 hits), this Red Sox team is devoid of any consistent hitting.
Detroit Tigers
The AL Central may be a meat grinder this season, as the Tigers technically stand at the top of the division with the Cleveland Guardians at 18-19. All five teams in the Central are separated by just 1.5 games, but the Tigers have the best team on paper. Everybody in the Detroit area is currently holding their breath at the news that ace Tarik Skubal was scratched from Monday’s start with an undisclosed injury and was placed on the 15-day injured list.
Some of the power that was abundant from last season’s 198-homer total has been shockingly absent in the season’s first month and change. That said, rookie Kevin McGonigle has been a pace-setter for the Tigers, hitting over .300 in March and April. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson combined for 67 home runs last season and have been just middling to start the season. If Detroit is going to be a factor in the summer months, it’s going to have to be because of that trio of players.
MLB Prediction: Who Will Win Red Sox vs. Tigers?
The Tigers will send out veteran Jack Flaherty on Wednesday. Off to a rocky start, Flaherty brings an almost 6.00 ERA to the bump for the home Tigers. Having not gotten past the fourth inning since April 15, Flaherty will have to tighten up and give Detroit some innings to stabilize the rotation that may not have Skubal for the next week or so, at least.
For this game, we’ll go with the Tigers to salvage a game of this series at home. It’s possible the Red Sox could use an opener again after doing so in the second game, but the home Tigers need it to keep ahead of every other team in the AL Central.
Best Bet: Tigers Moneyline (-116)
BOS
DET