The Boston Red Sox (29-23) host the Detroit Tigers (29-30) for a three-game weekend series at Fenway Park looking for their first series win of the month.
The Boston Red Sox continue to struggle against the better teams. After getting a relatively good start from Drew Pomeranz in the first game of the series, Rick Porcello and David Price had a couple of rough starts against the Yankees.
The Red Sox are now 3 games out of first place in the AL East after dropping two out of three in New York..
The Detroit Tigers have been playing .500 ball all year. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez have struggled at the plate and they have had untimely injuries. When these teams met in early April, the Tigers were able to win 2 out of 3 games.
Pitching Matchups
Friday, June 9 at 7:10 PM – Brian Johnson (2-0, 2.57 ERA) vs Jordan Zimmermann (5-4, 5.98 ERA)
Saturday, June 10 at 7:15 PM – Chris Sale (7-2, 2.89 ERA) vs Justin Verlander (4-4, 4.63 ERA)
Sunday, June 11 8:00 PM – Drew Pomeranz (6-3, 4.03 ERA) vs Daniel Norris (2-4, 4.48 ERA)
Series Notes
Drew Pomeranz is very slowly making the trade for him look better. He obviously got off to a terrible start in Boston. Between his struggles last year and the way he started this year, Pomeranz was not making the trade look good. In his last 5 starts, Pomeranz has gone 3-1 with an ERA of 2.52 and has struck out 35 batters. Pomeranz is starting to look like the Drew Pomeranz from before the All-Star break last year.
More from Red Sox News
- Aaron Judge’s Yankees return a brutal reminder of what could have been for Red Sox
- Red Sox should capitalize on Yankees’ latest roster move
- Red Sox ownership’s latest reported venture could be what’s affected team spending
- How Red Sox’ latest cheap endeavor could carve out a role in 2023
- Conflicting report about Mookie Betts trade paints Chaim Bloom in even worse light
Key Hitters
Boston Red Sox: Mookie Betts
2017 Season (30 Games): .342/.394/.427, 0 HR, 9 RBI
Career vs Detroit Tigers (12 Games): .176/.250/.255, 0 HR, 3 RBI
More from Red Sox News
- Aaron Judge’s Yankees return a brutal reminder of what could have been for Red Sox
- Red Sox should capitalize on Yankees’ latest roster move
- Red Sox ownership’s latest reported venture could be what’s affected team spending
- How Red Sox’ latest cheap endeavor could carve out a role in 2023
- Conflicting report about Mookie Betts trade paints Chaim Bloom in even worse light
Plain and simple, Mookie has not looked like the MVP-caliber player he was last year. Over the last month he has hit a meager .196, to go along with a .268 OBP. He hit well out of the leadoff spot last year, but this year is not the same.
Mookie is obviously important to the offense. If he is doing well, then the Red Sox are usually doing well. Hopefully Mookie will be able to turn his season around against the Tigers.
Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera
2017 Season (35 Games): .271/.381/.422, 5 HR, 27 RBI
Career vs Red Sox (63 Games): .314/.410/.531, 11 HR, 38 RBI
Like I said earlier, Miggy has not been the same Miggy we are used to. He is starting to get up there in age, but he has never really showed signs of slowing down. He still hits in the middle of the order, and is surprisingly the qualified team leader in batting average.
Cabrera has hit the Sox well in the past, so look for him to turn his start to turn his season around.
Next: Return of Yankees rivalry brings excitement to AL East race
Check back with BoSox Injection prior to the start of every Red Sox series this season for our preview!