The Detroit Tigers will host the Boston Red Sox on Sunday at Comerica Park. First pitch from Detroit is at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Tigers are -110 moneyline favorites and the game total is set at 8.5 runs.
Boston (3-4 SU and 2-5 RL) beat Detroit 6-3 in the first game of the series. The Red Sox took two of three from Baltimore in their opening series and were swept by Pittsburgh after that. Kutter Crawford will take the mound for Boston in the series finale.
Detroit (2-5 SU and 2-5 RL) was swept by Tampa Bay in its season-opening series but took two of three from Houston in its next series. Matthew Boyd will get the start for the Tigers on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox weren't supposed to be competitors in the American League East this season but with all the scoring power in this Boston lineup, they certainly shouldn't be overlooked. The pitching staff has left something to be desired, however, and will need to show improvement if the Sox are going to avoid a last-place finish in the division.
Boston took care of its business in the first game of its series in Detroit, as starting pitcher Chris Sale responded to a poor season-opening outing with a much better performance. The 34-year-old lefty picked up the win, striking out seven Tigers in five innings of work. Sale was buoyed by another offensive explosion by the Red Sox offense.
Drop a DUUUVALL in the replies. ?? pic.twitter.com/BnsgC3pPU5
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 6, 2023
The lineup has been mashing, to say the least. Adam Duvall has gone deep three times, Rafael Devers and Enrique Hernandez have each hit two long balls, and three others have gone yard once. With Alex Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida patrolling the corner outfield spots and Justin Turner and Triston Casas providing additional pop, this Sox team has more star power than you might think.
Boston scores 5.86 runs per game (5th) with a .256 average (10th) and a .783 OPS (11th). It's hit ten home runs (8th) and stolen three bases (20th). The Red Sox pitching staff has a 5.57 ERA (26th) and 1.56 WHIP (26th) with zero quality starts.
The 27-year-old Crawford will look to bounce back Sunday after a disastrous season-opening start. The righty only lasted four innings in a 7-6 loss to Pittsburgh, surrendering seven runs on eight hits, including three long balls. In his lone career appearance (4/13/22) against Detroit, Crawford surrendered three runs on three hits and a walk in 0.1 innings.