Jon Lester will get the ball for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night as they open up the best-of-seven ALCS at home at Fenway Park against the visiting Detroit Tigers.
Lester is 2-2 with a 4.63 ERA in his seven career starts against the Tigers, and he won his only ALDS outing against the Rays (two runs over 7 2-3 innings of work). The lefthander went 15-8 with a 3.75 ERA in the regular season.
Anibal Sanchez will be on the mound for the Tigers; Sanchez went 14-9 on the season.
View Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox Odds and Stats.
The visitors were 123 moneyline underdogs in this one earlier in the day at most online sportsbooks including Sportsbook. The total was 7.5 at Sportsbook for those preferring over under wagers.
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the No. 4-ranked Red Sox and the No. 16-rated Tigers in this matchup.
The Tigers were a 3-0 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Athletics. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Detroit at -103 on the moneyline, while the total score (3) was good news for UNDER bettors. Justin Verlander blew away 10 Oakland batter in the Tigers's last start, leading them to a 3-0 win over Oakland on Thursday at O.co Coliseum.
Last time out for Boston, they were a 3-1 Sportsbook as they battled the Rays on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Red Sox at -119 were rewarded, while the 4 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Boston rolled to a 3-1 win against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, as Jake Peavy and the Red Sox' bats led the team to victory at Tropicana Field.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Boston's No. 1-rated offense, averaging 5.3 runs per game, against a Tigers defense that ranks No. 7 at 3.83 in runs allowed per game. The Red Sox have averaged 9.66 hits per game so far, less than Tigers batters have averaged on the year (9.96 hits per game).
Defensively, Detroit features the No. 2-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.52 runs per game. Boston, meanwhile, comes in at No. 2 at home, scoring 5.28 runs per game.
Next up:
Detroit at Boston, Sunday, October 13th
