Detroit Tigers (22-20) @ Boston Red Sox (22-20)
Justin Verlander (4-3, 2.91) @ Josh Beckett (3-1, 1.75)
7:10 PM EDT |Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
TV: NESN, MLB Network RADIO: WEEI 850, WWZN 1510
INJURY REPORT
Detroit: Carlos Guillen, recovering from knee surgery (Placed on the 15 day DL March 30th); Magglio Ordonez, right ankle weakness (Placed on the 15 day DL May 13th retroactive to May 11th);
Boston: Daisuke Matsuzaka, sprained elbow (Placed on the 15 day DL May 17th); John Lackey, strained elbow (Placed on the 15 day DL May 16th, retroactive May 12th) to Marco Scutaro, strained left oblique (Placed on the 15 day DL May 8th); Dan Wheeler, strained calf (Placed on the 15 day DL May 5th); Bobby Jenks, bicep soreness (Placed on 15 day DL May 5th, retroactive to May 2nd)
GAME NOTES
Justin Verlander is at the top of his game. After tossing a no hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays, he carried another hitless bid into the sixth inning in his last start in Kansas City. When he takes the mound tonight at Fenway Park he’ll do so with a 2.91 ERA and a 4-3 record, looking to allow only his second run in the last seventeen innings. Of course, on the topic of pitchers on the top of their game, it would be impossible not to mention Josh Beckett. After facing an off season full of questions and doubt, Beckett has silenced his critics with a remarkable season so far. The only question left is, how long can he be this good? He carries a 1.75 ERA into tonight’s game with a 3-1 record and forty strikeouts. He dominated the Yankees in his last start, twirling six scoreless frames while striking out nine. His usual battery mate, Jason Varitek, will start behind the plate. In a matchup of premiere American League pitchers, Josh Beckett looks to be stronger than his Tiger counterpart.
Lineups
Red Sox
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrain Gonzalez, 1B
- Kevin Youkilis, 3B
- David Ortiz, DH
- J.D. Drew, RF
- Jed Lowrie, SS
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Jason Varitek, C
Detroit
- Austin Jackson, CF
- Scott Sizemore, 2B
- Brennan Boesch, RF
- Miguel Cabera, 1B
- Victor Martinez, DH
- Andy Dirks, LF
- Jhonny Peralta
- Alex Avila, C
- Brandon Inge, 3B
Stats
-Beckett leads the American League in ERA with a 1.75 mark. Trevor Cahill is second with a 1.82.
-BABIP against Verlander: .209
-Beckett is 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in his career against Detroit.
-Carl Crawford is hitting .205. He’s still hitting eighth.
-Jacoby Ellsbury’s 13 stolen bases are good for fifth in the majors. Jose Reyes leads everyone with 16.
-Verlander has a 3.89 ERA and a 2-2 record in his career against the Sox.
-Beckett has not allowed a run in his last 18 1/3 innings.
-Boston’s next five games will be nationally televised.
-The Sox are half a game away from being the American League Wild Card. Huh.
Will Beckett continue to pitch well tonight? How are you feeling about the team after five straight wins? Let us know in the comments section and stick around for the game, we’d love to hear from you.