Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers Preview
Both the Tigers and Red Sox will be looking to move above .500 on Friday, as they are currently 28-28 and 28-29, respectively. This game will get started at 7:10 PM ET from Fenway Park in Boston, and the Red Sox are favored on the money line (-165). The money line odds for a Tigers win are sitting at +141. APLTV is carrying this one on TV.
The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and Friday’s pitching matchup features Kenta Maeda for the Tigers and Tanner Houck for the Red Sox. Boston will be looking to extend their two-game winning streak.
Check out BetCoco for Boston Red Sox – Detroit Tigers odds
Boston Red Sox Trends and Key Stats
- Over the course of their previous five away games, the Tigers have recorded a 1-4 record, with a 1-4 performance on the runline.
- In the Red Sox’s five most recent home games, their record stands at 3-2 (SU) with 3-2 against the spread.
- The Red Sox have a straight-up record of 4-6 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 1-9 record vs. the runline.
- Looking at the Tigers’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 5-5 straight-up and 5-5 vs. the runline.
Detroit cruised to an easy 5-0 win over the Red Sox in the most recent game of this series. The Tigers had a huge 8th inning, scoring three of their five runs. As for the Red Sox, they had their best chance to score in the 6th, but left the bases loaded.
Jack Flaherty started for the Tigers and picked up the win, going 6 2/3 innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with nine strikeouts but issued one walk. On the other side, Nick Pivetta got the start for the Red Sox and took the loss, giving up two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Riley Greene and Gio Urshela each homered for the Tigers, while Akil Baddoo scored twice and drove in a run while going 1/4. Colt Keith also had a two-hit game at the plate.
Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers Prediction
Detroit is at an even 28-28 overall as they play on the road vs. the Red Sox today. The Tigers are 9.0 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead, and they are 4th in the division. So far, they have gone 10-9 in AL Central matchups this year.
At home, the Tigers are 14-15 this season compared to 14-13 on the road. This year, they have been good as the favorite, going 14-12 and 14-16 as the underdog. Detroit’s overall series record is 8-7-3 this year.
When betting the run line on the Detroit Tigers this season, it has been more profitable to back them on the road than at home. The Tigers are 16-11 against the run line on the road, compared to just 9-20 at home. They have an average run margin of 0.7 on the road and -0.5 at home. Overall, Detroit’s run line record is 25-31 this season. They are 6-20 against the run line as the favorite and 19-11 as the underdog.
The Detroit Tigers are on the road today against the Boston Red Sox. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is the exact combined run average for the Tigers’ games this season. Detroit has a 30-24 over/under record on the year, and their games have averaged 8 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, the Tigers have gone 4-7. Only 10.7% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Kenta Maeda gets the start for the Tigers today and comes in with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 5.80. So far, he has made eight starts and two of them have been quality starts. Per nine innings, Maeda is averaging 6.06 strikeouts and 2.52 walks. Looking back at his most recent outing, Maeda didn’t allow a run in five innings of work vs. the Blue Jays. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. His ERA on the road is 15.9 compared to 4.93 at home.
Over the past eight games, Matt Vierling has been on a tear, hitting 12 of 29 (.414) with four homers and 12 RBIs. For the season, Vierling is batting .288, which is the best mark on the team, and his 28 RBIs are the 2nd most on the Tigers. Kerry Carpenter has also been swinging the bat well of late, as he is currently on a four-game hitting streak and has gone deep eight times this season.
As a team, the Tigers are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. Their home run and batting average numbers are right around the league average, but they are in the bottom half of the league in terms of on-base percentage and OPS. Detroit’s most common lineup has three hitters with a batting average above .280, led by Matt Vierling’s .288 mark.
Boston is 28-29 overall and trails the Yankees by 10.5 games in the AL East. The Red Sox have dropped two straight games, and they are 5-8 in divisional matchups this year. So far, they have gone 11-16 at home compared to 17-13 on the road.
As the favorite, the Red Sox are 14-12 this year and 14-17 as the underdog. Boston’s overall series record is 8-9-1, and they have lost two straight series.
When betting the run line, the Red Sox have been a better play on the road, where they are 18-12 compared to 7-20 at home. As the favorite, they are just 7-19 on the run line, while they are 18-13 as the underdog. Their average run differential in all games is +0.3 runs per game, but that number drops to -0.8 in their home games.
When the Boston Red Sox play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs for their game against the Detroit Tigers. The combined run average for Red Sox games this season is 8.2 runs per game. Overall, the Red Sox have gone over the total in 21 of their 52 games this season. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, the Red Sox are 9-10 on the season.
Tanner Houck has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 4-5. His ERA is currently 1.90, along with a WHIP of .99. Opposing batters are hitting .210 this season off the right-hander. Houck has one complete game shutout this year and has turned in nine quality starts. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on seven hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Houck’s ERA at home is 2.44 compared to 1.5 on the road.
Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. As a team, the Red Sox are batting .240, which is 13th in the league, and are 11th in home runs. One thing that has hurt them is their strikeout numbers, as they are averaging 9 strikeouts per game (26th).
Over his last eight games, Wilyer Abreu has gone 9/28 and has two homers. This has helped him move his season batting average up to .321. Ceddanne Rafaela comes into the game as the team’s leader in RBIs (28) but is batting just .205 for the season. Rafael Devers is 2nd on the team with 26 RBIs and has 10 homers.
Our prediction for this Tigers vs. Red Sox matchup is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Red Sox, meaning there is a little bit of wiggle room if you would like to take the Red Sox on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we do have Tanner Houck finishing with more strikeouts than Kenta Maeda. However, we have Houck’s strikeout total at seven, and his over/under line is likely to be around 5.5, so you could look to take the over on his strikeout line.
Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers Betting Tips
- Take the Red Sox on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Tigers (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Boston Red Sox Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Hendriks | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Story | Out | Shoulder |
| Tyler O’Neill | Out | Knee |
| Lucas Giolito | Out | Elbow |
| Bryan Mata | Out | Lat |
| Triston Casas | Out | Ribs |
| Garrett Whitlock | Out | Oblique |
| Isaiah Campbell | Out | Shoulder |
| Chris Murphy | Out | Elbow |
| Masataka Yoshida | Out | Thumb |
Detroit Tigers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby Miller | Out | Forearm |
| Kerry Carpenter | Out | Back |
| Sawyer Gipson-Long | Out | Elbow |
