The Detroit Tigers host Boston on Thursday, looking to build on their 39-31 mark against the 44-30 Red Sox in MLB betting action at Comerica Park.

John Lackey, with a record of 4-5 on the season, gets the ball for the Red Sox, while the Tigers trot Jose Alvarez to the mound in this one. He is 1-0 so far in 2013.



View Boston vs Detroit Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Detroit was a -132 moneyline favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers at Sportsbook settle on an Sportsbook over under number of 9.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Tigers at No. 1 in the American League and the Red Sox at No. 2 in the American League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Detroit has the American League's No. 2-rated offensive output, at 10 hits per game. The Red Sox average 9.2 hits per game, good for No. 3 on the American League list.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Detroit has the American League's No. 2-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Red Sox own the American League's No. 5 mark in runs allowed.

The Red Sox were a 6-2 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Rays. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Tampa Bay at +119 on the moneyline, while the total score (8) was good news for UNDER bettors. Boston suffered a 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, as Ryan Dempster wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Fenway Park.

In their last action, Detroit was a 13-3 loser at home against the Orioles. Bettors on Baltimore at +129 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (16) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. Detroit was routed on Wednesday at Comerica Park, having a 13-3 loss put on them by the Baltimore Orioles in baseball betting action.


Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Detroit are 7-3
After playing Tampa Bay are 7-3
After a loss are 8-2

Detroit Tigers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Boston are 4-6
After playing Baltimore are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

A few Red Sox at Tigers trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 9 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Detroit's last 9 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Detroit's last 10 games
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home


Next up:
Boston at Detroit, Friday, June 21