As they complete their three-game series in Detroit, the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers are contending for a spot in the American League wild-card playoffs. The Red Sox are now 3.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins, who currently hold the third wild-card spot, while the Tigers are five games behind.
Thus far, the series has been competitive. The Tigers came back on Saturday with a close 2-1 victory over the Red Sox, who had taken the first game in extra innings. Tarik Skubal pitched eight innings in that game, giving him a strong performance that cemented his place in the running for the AL Cy Young Award. “We’re going to keep it the same as we have all year,” Skubal added. “We must concentrate on winning the game every day. We have to win the series and on Sunday.”
The Red Sox are hoping to end a run of inconsistent play that has dogged them since early August as they get ready for the rubber match. “We remain on course,” stated manager Alex Cora. “We genuinely think we’re capable of more. We’re off now. The remaining games should be enjoyable, but we still need to improve as a baseball team.” As the team approaches the end of the season, its management underlined the need for improvement because they have had trouble stringing victories together.
Cooper Criswell, who has had a poor August with 10 runs allowed in 14 innings over five outings, will take the mound for Boston. This season, he had already fought the Tigers once and had won with a strong performance. “Just by virtue of the composition of the league, you’re going to have a significant advantage over other teams. Manager A.J. Hinch remarked, “I mean, you just have more right-handed pitchers than left-handed pitchers, more right-handed starts than left-handed starters. Writing a lineup against a right-hander is entertaining, but you can’t help but worry when their bullpen will see a lefty pitch. And what will the circumstances be?”
To take advantage of their matchup with Criswell, the Tigers are anticipated to deploy a lineup that leans heavily on left-handed hitters, but they have not yet revealed who will start on Sunday. Because there are so many right-handed pitchers in the league, this tactic is frequently used. Hinch stated, “It’s a tough matchup.” “He did a good job of hanging in there and taking a good approach.” After winning six straight games to get closer to the wild-card chase, Detroit is keen to build on its recent success, which included ending a two-game losing run.
