Tigers vs Red Sox Odds, Picks | Bet Boston Early?

Friday, May 31

7:10 p.m. ET

MLB.TV

Detroit Tigers Odds
Moneyline	Over/Under	Run Line
+142	8.5 -102o / -118u	+1.5 -148

Boston Red Sox Odds
Moneyline	Over/Under	Run Line
-170	8.5 -102o / -118u	-1.5 +124

Odds via DraftKings . Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here.

The Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox resume their series on Friday evening after an impressive pitching performance by Jack Flaherty on Thursday.

The Tigers are off to a great start in the four-game set at Fenway and will try to guarantee a split with a victory tonight.

On paper, the Sox are rightfully favored with Tanner Houck on the mound against Kenta Maeda. Houck has had a terrific year, entering Friday with a 1.90 ERA.

Meanwhile, Maeda enters the game with a 5.80 ERA, which is why most books have the Motor City Kitties as borderline-heavy 'dogs.

Let's see what else we can dig up in my Tigers vs Red Sox pick below.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are a scrappy team, and that was on full display last night.

Behind Flaherty's dominant performance, the Tigers are now 28-28 on the season and very much alive in the Wild Card race.

It's only the end of May, but considering the Sox are right on their heels in the Wild Card race, the remainder of the series could prove important come October.

The big hurdle for Friday's game is the mystery of Maeda.

Maeda's strikeout numbers have dipped significantly from last season, and many wonder how much the 36-year-old has left in the tank. He is averaging only six strikeouts to three walks per nine innings pitched.

That won't get the job done, especially on a warm evening in a band-box like Fenway Park. His expected ERA is slightly lower than 5.80, but we shouldn't expect too much positive regression.

The offense has their hands full with Houck, and they've had virtually zero success against him in the past. Current Tigers hitters are 2-for-20 lifetime against Houck.

It was a great win last night, but it is an awful matchup for the Tigers tonight on both sides of the diamond. I have a hard time believing they can pull out the victory.

Boston Red Sox

The Sox were blanked last night, but now they get an opportunity to redeem themselves against Maeda. Despite not having much experience against Maeda, it's a golden opportunity for the offense to wake up.

If the offense continues to struggle, they'll rely on Houck to continue his early-season dominance. His 1.90 ERA is a tad lower than it should be, but there's no questioning his incredible performance thus far.

Houck has great movement on all of his pitches, explaining his 57% ground ball rate. He doesn't allow many free passes, so it's become tough for opposing offenses to muster any sort of production.

Houck should provide plenty of length, and I have a feeling the bats will be able to provide enough run support. If the Sox can't win tonight, it may be tough to salvage a split in the remainder of the series.

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Tigers vs. Red Sox

Betting Pick & Prediction

It is a bit pricy to lay -175 on the Sox for the first half, so I am willing to take the risk that their offense scores a couple of runs for Houck early.

Houck is in a great spot against a Tigers team that has struggled against him in the past.

Maeda can not be trusted in this spot, and it's tough to back the Sox on the full-game ML because of their erratic bullpen.

But, I'm willing to bet that the Sox will be ahead at the halfway point.

Pick: Red Sox F5 -0.5 (-120, DraftKings)

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