Thursday, August 18, 2016

Comerica Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Clay Buchholz vs. Matt Boyd

The Boston Red Sox visit Comerica Park on Thursday to play the Detroit Tigers. The probable starters are Clay Buchholz for the Red Sox and Matt Boyd for the Tigers. The opening line for this matchup has Boston at -110 and Detroit at +100. The over/under was set at 9.5. The Red Sox have a 58-55-5 over/under record and a 58-60-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Tigers are 65-54-0 against the run line and have a 59-54-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Red Sox head into this matchup with a 66-52 record, including 28-25 on the road. Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz has a 4-9 record with an earned run average of 5.66 and a WHIP of 1.41. He has 59 strikeouts over his 95.1 innings pitched and he has given up 93 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.57. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.89 and they have given up 314 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .237 against the bullpen while being struck out 374 times and walking 143 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.68 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.22. The Red Sox pitchers have collectively given up 1,015 base hits and 494 earned runs. They have allowed 132 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 371 batters and struck out 982. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.10.

As a team, Boston is batting .284, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .262 average away from home. The Red Sox hold a .468 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .350 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10 hits per game. Mookie Betts comes into this game hitting .315 and his on-base percentage is at .355. He has 157 hits this season along with 93 runs scored and 89 runs batted in. He's struck out 67 times and has walked 32 times. Xander Bogaerts is hitting .312 and he has an on-base percentage of .368. He has totaled 149 hits so far while scoring 83 runs and he's driven in 69. He has walked 39 times and has struck out 82 times. The Red Sox have 1,180 hits, including 263 doubles and 152 home runs. They've stolen 65 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 16 times. Boston has walked 400 times this season and they've struck out 835 times as a unit. They've left 855 men on base and have a team OPS of .818. They score 5.49 runs per contest and have scored a total of 648 runs so far this year.

Detroit comes into this matchup with a 33-23 home record and a 63-56 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.16, Matt Boyd has a 4-2 record and a 1.23 WHIP. He has 53 strikeouts over the 62.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 56 hits. He has allowed 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.67. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.14 and they have given up 377 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .263 against the Tigers bullpen while being struck out 309 times and walking 120 times this season. As a team, Detroit has allowed 9.09 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.43 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Tigers pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,068 base knocks and 495 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 130 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a staff has walked 340 hitters and struck out 873. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.16.

As a team, they are batting .266, good for 4th in the league while putting together a .275 average at home. The Tigers hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326 which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.18 hits per contest. Ian Kinsler comes into this matchup batting .286 and he has an OBP of .342. He has 137 hits this year along with 92 runs scored and 63 RBI. He's struck out 95 times and has walked on 33 occasions. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .310 and he has an OBP of .384. He has collected 137 hits so far while he's scored 66 runs and drove in 77. He has earned a walk 54 times and has punched out 87 times. The Tigers as a unit have 1,093 base hits, including 177 doubles and 156 homers. They have 49 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. Detroit as a team has walked 349 times this year and they have struck out 968 times. They've had 808 men left on base and have an OPS of .761. They score 4.64 runs per game and have totaled 552 runs so far this season.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 58-55-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 58-60-0 against the run line so far this season

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 59-54-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 65-54-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

08/16/16 P Eduardo Rodriguez Hamstring left last game, "?" for next scheduled start
08/15/16 1B Hanley Ramirez Personal out indefinitely
08/15/16 P Steven Wright Shoulder 15-day DL (8/8)
08/06/16 C Ryan Hanigan Ankle 15-day DL (8/5)
07/20/16 P Koji Uehara Pectoral 15-day DL (7/20)
06/24/16 LF Chris Young Hamstring 15-day DL (6/23)
06/17/16 2B Josh Rutledge Knee 60-day DL (6/15)
06/07/16 P Carson Smith Elbow 60-day DL (5/15)
06/06/16 C Blake Swihart Ankle 60-day DL (6/5)
05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Detroit Tigers

08/16/16 1B Miguel Cabrera Bicep "?" Wednesday vs. Kansas City Royals
08/13/16 SS Jose Iglesias Hamstring 15-day DL (8/11)
08/09/16 CF Cameron Maybin Thumb 15-day DL (8/9)
08/07/16 P Jordan Zimmerman Neck 15-day DL (8/5)
08/07/16 3B Nick Castellanos Hand 15-day DL (8/7)
08/02/16 P Mike Pelfrey Back 15-day DL (8/2)
06/21/16 P Drew VerHagen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/23), out for season
04/04/16 P Jeff Ferrell Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Angel Nesbitt Ankle 15-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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