Boston @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 6, 2014 ) Boston 2, Detroit 6

The Boston Red Sox can’t seem to decide whether they want to be a winning team or a losing team. The Red Sox try to halt their latest slide at four straight when they visit the Detroit Tigers for the second contest of their three-game set on Saturday. Boston followed a 10-game losing streak with seven wins in a row but has since dropped four straight while struggling in the area that went south during the first skid – timely hitting.

The Tigers took advantage of the Red Sox’s problems in the clutch and earned a 6-2 victory in Friday’s opener, snapping their own five-game slide. Detroit took a four-run lead into the ninth inning and allowed closer Joe Nathan to work out some of his recent struggles in a lower-pressure situation, and the veteran responded with an easy frame. The only consistent source of offense for Boston at the moment is rookie Xander Bogaerts, who doubled in a run on Friday and has collected four RBIs and four extra-base hits in the last four contests.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Jon Lester (6-6, 3.15 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Max Scherzer (6-2, 3.20)

Lester struck out 12 in seven scoreless innings to earn a win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, his second straight quality start following two losses. The 30-year-old free-agent-to-be is improving his market value with 95 strikeouts in 80 total frames. Lester went five innings against Detroit at home on May 16 and struck out seven but suffered the loss while allowing one run on four hits.

Scherzer got the better of Lester in that May 16 meeting, tossing six scoreless frames to pick up a 1-0 victory. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner has not been quite as sharp since, going 0-1 with a 7.32 ERA in the three starts. Scherzer struck out seven at Seattle on Sunday but was reached for four runs and nine hits over 6 2/3 innings in the loss.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tigers C Alex Avila (head) left Friday’s game in the eighth after getting hit on the helmet by David Ortiz on the backswing.

2. Boston RHP Clay Buchholz (knee) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Saturday.

3. Detroit 3B Nick Castellanos is 6-for-8 with a pair of doubles in the last two games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 7, Tigers 3