Boston @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 27, 2016 ) Detroit 4, Boston 3

The red-hot Boston Red Sox are headed to their fourth city in five days when they visit the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday afternoon. The Red Sox, who played in Baltimore on Wednesday night, reportedly requested that Thursday’s series opener be moved back to a night game despite the NFL’s Detroit Lions playing across the street at the same time but were denied by the Tigers.

Boston is enduring a brutal travel schedule that had them going from Boston on Sunday to Cleveland on Monday afternoon for a makeup game and then onto Baltimore for a quick two-game set before the key series in Detroit that will help determine postseason positioning. The Red Sox are showing no ill effects from the travel yet and are outscoring opponents 47-15 during a six-game winning streak that has pushed them into the top American League wild card spot and left them one game behind the Blue Jays for the AL East lead. The Tigers are on the opposite end of the spectrum offensively of late and totaled three runs while being swept in a three-game series by the Kansas City Royals. Detroit is 2-8 in its last 10 games – scoring one or no runs in six of those losses – to fall 3 1/2 games behind Baltimore in the race for the second AL wild card.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), FSN Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (4-9, 5.66 ERA) vs. Tigers LH Matt Boyd (4-2, 4.16)

Buchholz will make his second straight start in place of knuckleballer Steven Wright, who is on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Buchholz was limited to around 70 pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday and was charged with three runs on three hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. The veteran Texan made five consecutive scoreless relief appearances before rejoining the rotation, beginning with a perfect inning against Detroit on July 27.

Boyd has been sharp in seven appearances – six starts – since rejoining the team from the minors just prior to the All-Star break and is coming off his best effort in that stretch. The 25-year-old breezed through the powerful Texas Rangers lineup while scattering two hits across seven scoreless innings in a win on Saturday. Boyd was not quite as strong in his only previous appearance against the Red Sox, when he failed to record an out while serving up seven runs and six hits on July 2, 2015.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera (left biceps strain) returned from a one-game absence on Wednesday and went 0-for-4.

2. Boston RF Mookie Betts is 9-for-16 with five home runs, 13 RBIs and nine runs scored in the last four games.

3. Detroit OF Tyler Collins left Wednesday’s game with a knee contusion and is day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Tigers 3