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After erupting for a win to prevent a sweep at the hands of the White Sox in Chicago, the Detroit Tigers now return home to face the other Sox team from Boston. In a matchup of two former front office friends, the clubs will duke it out in the final series before the All-Star break.
Make no mistake that despite their stumbling start to the 2019 season that the Boston Red Sox still possess a potent roster. Against a team that has struggled to both keep runs off and put runs up on the scoreboard, these last three games are potentially an embarrassing mismatch. But hey, that is why they play the games!
Boston Red Sox (46-41) at Detroit Tigers (28-54)
Time/Place: 7:10 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation site: Over the Monster
Media: Fox Sports Detroit, fuboTV, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (8-4, 4.79 ERA) vs. Gregory Soto (0-2, 8.44 ERA)
Game 84 Pitching Matchup
| Pitcher | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Rodriguez | 97.2 | 24.3 | 7.4 | 4.19 | 1.4 |
| Soto | 21.1 | 14.4 | 11.5 | 6.54 | -0.1 |
The difference between the two starting hurlers is like night and day — it seems like this has been said in so many previous game previews. In one corner, there is Eduardo Rodriguez who has been Boston’s second-most dependable starting pitcher this season behind David Price. He has put up respectable numbers and has done his duty eating up innings. With a low-90s fastball, along with a cutter and a changeup that rest in a velocity band in the high 80s, plus a slider for more breaking action, Rodriguez has the potential to torment Tigers hitters.
In the other corner, we have Gregory Soto who has actually pitched a little bit better than his numbers suggest. He has not thrown more than four innings in any of his major league outings this season, and has a penchant for getting roughed up the second time through the batting order. He is simply a quintessential “opener”, but the Tigers seem to insist on pushing him too far, which as resulted in his abysmal stats. His consistency in giving up home runs has not been in his favor either, surrendering one in all but two of his games so far.
Key matchup: Tigers hitters vs. Rodriguez’s arsenal
Pitching is not likely going to be how the Tigers pull out a win out today, so it is incumbent upon their offense to solve Eduardo early and score on him often. The best bet for a victory will be in a shootout where the Tigers dig deep into the Red Sox bullpen, and maybe even cause some havoc for the pitching staff going into the next two games.
Prediction
Soto sails through the order once, prompting manager Ron Gardenhire to send him through the lineup again, only to get shelled. The Tigers battle Rodriguez, but just cannot seem to make him break, and despite tacking on a few late runs, the game is lost early.