Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox Picks and Predictions August 31st 2024

At 6:10 PM ET, the Red Sox and Tigers face off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Comerica Park in Detroit and has the Red Sox as the slight money line favorite (+133). The Tigers are favored at -158 and their money line odds are +134. The over/under line is sitting at 7.5 runs.

BSDET is the TV channel carrying this game, and Nick Pivetta is starting for the Red Sox, who are 3rd in the AL East. The Tigers are 4th in the AL Central and will start Tarik Skubal. Detroit comes in with a record of 68-68, while the Red Sox are 70-65.

Boston vs. Detroit Key Information

Right-hander Nick Pivetta gets the start for the Red Sox today as he faces the Tigers on the road. He has made 20 starts this year and has a record of 5-9 with an ERA of 4.61. Pivetta’s WHIP for the season is 1.13, and opponents are batting .228 off him this year. In his last outing, Pivetta finished with a no-decision, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had gone 2-0 in his previous three starts. Pivetta has allowed at least one home run in each of his last three outings.

So far this season, the Red Sox offense has been one of the best in the league, averaging 4.9 runs per game (6th) and batting a collective .258, which is the 3rd best mark in the MLB. They have also been one of the league’s top power-hitting teams, as their 171 home runs is the 7th best mark in the league. One of the reasons for their success has been their ability to limit strikeouts, as their 9 strikeouts per game is the 25th best mark in the league.

Join the Winning Team! Register Now on SportsHub.

Over his last eight games, Jarren Duran has gone 10/30 (.333) with three homers and seven runs scored. For the season, he is batting .295 with 21 homers and 69 RBIs. Rafael Devers has also been a big power threat for the Red Sox, as his 28 homers is the best mark on the team and 8th best in the league. Devers also leads the team with 80 RBIs.

Tarik Skubal gets the start for the Tigers today and comes in with a record of 15-4 and an ERA of 2.58. So far, he has made 26 starts and 19 of them have been quality starts. Skubal has been pitching well recently, as he has picked up the win in three straight outings. In his most recent start, he went five innings and gave up three earned runs on eight hits. Looking back further, he has only given up more than one earned run once in his last four outings. Skubal’s WHIP for the season is currently 0.95.

Heading into today’s game, the Tigers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. As a team, they are batting just .234 and have been one of the league’s worst teams in terms of drawing walks. Detroit’s team on-base percentage is just .298, which is 20th in the MLB.

Currently, Zach McKinstry is on a 10-game hitting streak and is batting .550 over his last seven games. During this stretch, he has one home run and three RBIs. Kerry Carpenter has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/23 in his last seven games. For the season, Carpenter is batting .260.

For a money-line pick, our lean would be to take the Red Sox to come out on top. And as for how we would play the over/under line, we would go with the over, as this is projected to be the 9th highest-scoring game of today’s slate. These teams are also projected to finish with the 7th most hits. Look for the Red Sox’s offense to have a good day, as they have the 10th highest team hits projection and 9th highest team runs projection. Tarik Skubal has the 3rd best chance to pick up a win among today’s starters.

Red Sox Face Tall Task in Encounter vs. Tarik Skubal, Tigers

Following a win in extra innings on Friday, the Boston Red Sox are getting ready for a tough game against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night. The Red Sox, who won the first game 7-5, will take on Detroit’s standout southpaw Tarik Skubal, a strong candidate for the American League Cy Young Award.

Red Sox’s ability to bounce back in Game 1.

The Red Sox had to search deep within themselves to secure the win on Friday, particularly after losing a late four-run advantage. Ceddanne Rafaela came up clutch, hitting a two-run home run in the 10th inning to give Boston the lead again. Jarren Duran hit a home run in the 10th inning, in addition to his two doubles from earlier in the game.

“A W is a W,” Boston manager Alex Cora said after the game. “We got here at 2 in the morning. It was hot, it was humid, it was a tough one. We gave up the lead in the ninth, they had the big rally in the eighth, but we were able to get the W.”

Duran’s performance was crucial for the Red Sox, and Cora praised the young outfielder’s ability to spark the team’s offense. “He gets us going,” Cora said. “He’s fun to watch.”

Skubal Takes the Mound

The Red Sox will face a significant challenge on Saturday in the form of Tigers ace Tarik Skubal (15-4, 2.58 ERA). Skubal has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season and is considered a frontrunner for the Cy Young Award. However, he’s coming off one of his shorter outings of the season, where he allowed three runs and eight hits over five innings in a 13-4 victory against the Chicago White Sox last Saturday.

Despite his recent performance, Skubal has been mostly dominant this season, posting quality starts in three of his last four outings. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged that Skubal wasn’t at his sharpest in his last start, but still managed to limit the damage.

“From Tarik’s vantage point, he wasn’t that sharp, and it didn’t look like he could throw the ball where he wanted to like he normally does,” Hinch said. “He did lock it back in and got to the end of his innings and got through five.”

Skubal mentioned an issue with the balls during his last start, noting that they didn’t seem properly rubbed down, which affected his grip. However, he refused to use it as an excuse.

“I’ve thrown in hotter games and in more humid games,” Skubal said. “I don’t know what was going on with the balls (Saturday). I wasn’t a fan. I’ve never thrown out that many balls before. But I don’t really want that to be a story or sound like an excuse or anything. … You have to learn to pitch around some things and deal with it because it’s not going to be the last time something like that happens.”

In the past, Skubal has had difficulties facing the Red Sox, with a 1-2 record and a 6.00 ERA in three career starts against them.

Pivetta’s Struggles Dealing with Home Runs

Starting for the Red Sox will be Nick Pivetta, a right-handed pitcher with a 5-9 record and a 4.61 ERA, who has faced challenges maintaining stability throughout the season. Since June 17, Pivetta has only managed to secure one victory and has been consistently allowing two home runs in each of his last five starts. In total, he has given up 24 home runs in 111 1/3 innings so far this season.

Pivetta came out of the bullpen for Monday’s continuation of a halted game versus Toronto, pitching six innings and recording 10 strikeouts, yet ultimately suffered defeat by giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits.

Stay Informed with Winning MLB Strategies! Access the best MLB Betting Tips available.

In his last outing versus the Tigers on May 30, Pivetta gave up two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings, recording nine strikeouts. Pivetta did not allow any hits from the current Tigers players in that game.

Pivetta has played three games against Detroit, holding a 1-1 record with a 3.21 ERA. He must perform well to contain the strong Tigers lineup.

Forecast for a series

The Red Sox will face a tough challenge against Tarik Skubal as they aim to win the series on Saturday. Skubal looks to bounce back from an unusual bad performance, while Pivetta aims to steer clear of giving up home runs, making this game a closely fought competition. Both teams are anxious to make progress as the regular season comes to a close, with each game becoming critical in the playoff competition.