The Detroit Tigers kicked off their season with three-straight victories over the Boston Red Sox, including close 3-2, and 13-12 victories, not to mention the 10-0 beatdown in game two. Now, they're wrapping up their May trying to avoid losing a four-game set against them after dropping game one by a score of 7-4 and game two by a score of 6-3. Justin Verlander was handed the loss in the most recent outing, and falls to 5-3 on the season.
Detroit is facing a very determined Boston team, who just moved over .500 (25-24) on their sixth try this season. It's the first time they've been above .500 this year and they'd like to keep it that way. They'll be sending Jon Lester to the mound to try and maintain the standing - he's 3-4 with a 4.72 earned run average. His last game was a paltry effort in which he lasted just four innings and gave up seven runs to Tampa Bay.
The Tigers will send out Drew Smyly to the mound to counter. He's 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA, and after a strong start, has been somewhat shaky in his recent appearances. He gave up four runs, three earned, against the Minnesota Twins on May 25, but was handed a win with some solid run support.
Miguel Cabrera is struggling for Detroit, and is 1-for-9 in the series. They need him to play a bit more like David Ortiz does for Boston - he's 5-for-8 with three doubles and three RBIs in the series.
The game is set for 7:10 p.m. eastern on Wednesday.
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