Game 41: Tigers at Red Sox - Boston back home against AL's best (again)
Contributing Writer
The last time these two teams saw each other, the Boston Red Sox were celebrating an ALCS victory following two grand slams in six games. The Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in the series en route to the World Series.
At 24-12, the Tigers own baseball's best record and become the second team in the last three home series for the Red Sox to visit Fenway Park with the best record in the American League. It will be 1-2-3 on the mound as aces Jon Lester and Max Scherzer duel in Game 1 of this series. Lester is 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA and is coming off back-to-back wins. In those two outings, Lester has struck out 23 batters, walked five, and allowed three runs and five hits combined over 15 innings.
Here is the Red Sox (20-20) lineup tonight (first pitch - 7:10 pm ET):
1) Pedroia, 2B
2) Sizemore, RF
3) Ortiz, DH
4) Napoli, 1B
5) Carp, LF
6) Bogaerts, SS
7) Bradley Jr., CF
8) Middlebrooks, 3B
9) Ross, C
Lester, P
Scherzer is 5-1 with a 2.04 ERA. He's won each of his last five starts, allowing six total runs over that span.
10-game mini-season
Boston has posted a 6-4 record over the last 10 games. In keeping up with our mini-seasons, that's the first winning mini-season of 2014. Here's how they've stacked up so far:
1) 4-6
2) 5-5
3) 5-5
4) 6-4
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