The Boston Red Sox head back on the road this Thursday night for the first of an extended four-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The first pitch for the opener is slated for 7:08 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on the MLB Network.

The Red Sox will wrap up a three-game set against Tampa Bay at home this Wednesday night after winning the first two games by a combined score of 8-2. They are now 6-4 in their last 10 outings and 2.5 games ahead of Baltimore in the AL East at 44-29 overall.

Detroit has split its first two games against the Orioles this week at home heading into Wednesday afternoon’s series finale. It is also 6-4 over its last 10 games and leading the AL Central by 4.5 games over Cleveland at 39-30 overall. The Tigers are an American League-best 23-11 at home this season.

Red Sox at Tigers Betting Storylines

Boston’s surprising turnaround this season after a dismal 2012 campaign has been helped by its pitching staff’s competitive 3.76 ERA, but its bats continue to make the most noise. The Red Sox are hitting .268 as a team, which is ranked third in the AL. The team is squeezing as much production out of each hit and walk as possible with a league-high 5.08 runs per game. David Ortiz has led the way with a team-high 52 RBI and 14 home runs, but this potent lineup boasts eight different players with at least 25 RBI on the year.

Look for John Lackey to get the start in Thursday’s Game 1. The right-hander is coming off one of his best outings of the year after holding Baltimore to two runs in seven innings of work to notch his fourth win of the season against five losses. He has a total ERA of 3.08 and has now posted five quality starts in his last six contests. Lackey is 6-2 against Detroit with a 4.01 ERA.

The Tigers have shown tremendous balance this season with the second-best staff ERA in the AL at 3.50 to go along with a .281 team batting average that is ranked first in the league. They are cranking out an average of 4.97 runs per game behind a huge effort from Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Cabrera leads the Majors with a .359 batting average and 71 RBI while Fielder has knocked in another 54 runs.

Detroit will send Jose Alvarez to the mound as its starter for Thursday night. The left-hander was called up from AAA to take Anibal Sanchez’s spot in the rotation on June 9 against Cleveland and allowed just one run in six innings of work in his MLB debut. He currently leads the International League in strike outs with 84 and has the league’s best WHIP at 1.02.

Red Sox at Tigers MLB Betting Odds and Trends

Boston has been opened by BetOnline as a +117 road underdog for Thursday night’s series opener with the Tigers listed as -127 home favorites. The total has been set at 9.

The Red Sox are 7-3 in their last 10 games against a left-handed starter and 4-1 in their last five games against a team from the AL Central. The total has stayed “under” in six of their last seven games.

The Tigers are 23-8 in Game 1 of their last 31 series and 15-6 in their last 21 games against the AL East. The total has stayed under in eight of their last nine games overall.

Head-to-head in this matchup, the home team is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings, and the total has gone “over” in eight of the last nine games. This will be the first meeting between the two this season.

Red Sox at Tigers Picks and Betting Predictions

You get the feeling that balls will be flying all over Comerica Park on Thursday night as both teams flex their muscle at the plate. Look for both starters to get chased from the mound early in a contest that should end up going over the nine-run total. If playing a side, the best bet is with Boston to bang in a few more runs than the Tigers to grab the early edge in this series.

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