Boston Red Sox (30-23) @ Detroit Tigers (25-26)
Josh Beckett (5-1, 1.69) @ Justin Verlander (4-3, 3.42)
7:05 PM EDT |Comerica Park (Detroit, MI)
TV: NESN RADIO: WEEI 850, WWZN 1510
INJURY REPORT
Detroit: Phil Coke, bone bruise in right foot (Placed on the 15 day DL May 24th) ;Brad Thomas, left elbow inflammation (Placed on the 15 day DL May 21st retroactive to May 11th); 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: Franklin Morales, left forearm strain (Placed on the 15 day DL May 29th retroactive to May 26th);Darnell McDonald, sore left quad (Placed on the 15 day DL May 26th); 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); 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); Felix Doubront, left groin strain (Placed on the 7 day DL on May 11)
GAME NOTES
David Ortiz was supposed to get the morning off. With a lefty Andy Oliver starting for the Tigers, manager Terry Francona figured it was time to finally give his designated hitter some rest. And he did. At least until the ninth inning that is. The Tigers stormed back from a three run deficit on a day where Clay Buchholz did not have his best stuff. With the score knotted at three heading to the ninth, Jose Valverde took the mound for Detroit. Ortiz was one for one in his career against the closer, that hit being a home run. Francona rolled the dice and summoned the big lefty from the bench. It paid off as Ortiz moved that home run total to two, blasting a full count pitch into the right field bleachers. The Sox picked up their thirtieth victory on the season and their fifth straight. A marquee matchup awaits them tonight as Josh Beckett and Justin Verlander go head-to-head for the second time this season. Both have been premiere pitchers this year. Beckett leads the league in ERA and Justin Verlander has a second no-hitter to his name. Beckett was excellent in his last start in Cleveland, hurling six and two-third innings, surrendering only one run while striking out six. He carries a league best 1.69ERA into the game with a 5-1 mark. Verlander has struggled since his no-hitter, giving up ten runs in twenty-two innings. His last start in Pittsburgh was the worst of his season. He yielded six runs in only six innings while striking out two. He comes into the game with a 3.42 ERA and a 4-3 record. Drew Sutton starts again tonight, this time spelling Jed Lowrie at shortstop. J.D. Drew is back in the lineup after missing the beginning of the series with a strained hamstring. It was announced before the afternoon game that newly acquired reliver Franklin Morales would be placed on the disabled list with a forearm strain. Michael Bowden made his way up from Pawtucket to replace Morales on the roster. The Sox have won five straight and look to hold their lead in first tonight against Verlander and Detroit.
Lineups
Red Sox
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Kevin Youkilis, 3B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Drew Sutton, SS
- J.D. Drew, RF
- Jason Varitek, C
Detroit
- Austin Jackson, CF
- Andy Dirks, LF
- Brennan Boesch, LF
- Miguel Cabrera, 1B
- Victor Martinez, DH
- Don Kelly, 3B
- Alex Avila, C
- Ramon Santiago, SS
- Danny Worth. 2B
Stats
-Beckett is 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA in two starts at Comerica Park.
-Before today, David Ortiz’s last pinch hit home run was his first as a Red Sox.
-Detroit closer Jose Valverde has yielded six runs in his last six innings.
-Boston has scored 48 runs in the past six games.
-Crawford has 9 hits in 26 at bats against Verlander. All of them are singles. Good for a .346/.346/.346 line.
-Verlander is 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA in six career starts against Boston.
-Miguel Cabrera does not have a hit against Beckett in eight at bats.
-The Sox are now 13-12 on the road, the first time they’ve had a winning record away from Fenway this season.
-Boston is 11-5 in day games and 18-17 in night games.
-Beckett and Verlander faced each other just ten days ago. The Sox won 4-3, neither pitcher picked up a decision.