The Tigers are 18-19 and somehow still in the AL Central conversation, which says less about Detroit and more about the Central. They're getting there with a rotation that's currently missing Tarik Skubal (loose bodies, elbow surgery, 2-3 months), Casey Mize, Justin Verlander, and Jackson Jobe. That's the entire playoff blueprint on ice, and now they're handing the ball to Jack Flaherty against a Sonny Gray team that just doesn't lose his starts.
- Day-To-DayRanger Suarez SP — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Friday that Suarez's (hamstring) next start will come next week "sometime in the Philly series," Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — The Red Sox placed Anthony (wrist) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to Tuesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- 15-Day-ILJustin Slaten RP — Slaten (oblique) allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning for Double-A Portland on Sunday.
- 15-Day-ILDanny Coulombe RP — The Red Sox placed Coulombe on the 15-day injured list Monday with cervical spasms.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder) was able to play catch Sunday for the first time since landing on the injured list Wednesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 15-Day-ILKutter Crawford SP — Crawford has been diagnosed with inflammation in his right elbow following an MRI, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILTriston Casas 1B — The Red Sox transferred Casas (abdomen/knee) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- Day-To-DayMax Anderson 2B — Anderson has gone 4-for-7 with two home runs, two walks and one stolen base over three rehab games for Single-A Lakeland since Triple-A Toledo placed him on its 7-day injured list April 5 due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayJosue Briceno C — Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILGleyber Torres 2B — The Tigers placed Torres on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a left oblique strain, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILJavier Baez SS — The Tigers placed Baez on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right ankle sprain.
- SuspensionFramber Valdez SP — Valdez's six-game suspension was reduced to five games Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTarik Skubal SP — Skubal is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles to remove bone chips from his left elbow, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJustin Verlander SP — Verlander (hip) threw a bullpen session Sunday at close to full intensity, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILWill Vest RP — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Vest is "not at 100 percent" physically, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Flaherty has been a problem. He's 0-2 with a 5.90 ERA across 7 starts, and the underlying number that should scare you is the 25 walks against 32 strikeouts. That's not bad luck, that's a guy who can't find the plate. Comerica is a forgiving park, but it doesn't bail you out of free passes. Gray, meanwhile, is 2-1 and the Red Sox have covered the spread in 3 of his 5 starts, which is the kind of stat that pops in a 1.5-run favorite spot.
Boston's the chaos team here. They fired Alex Cora on April 25 after a 10-17 start and handed the interim job to Chad Tracy from Triple-A Worcester. New voice, new energy, Rafaela coming up clutch off the bench earlier in the series — this isn't the lifeless team Cora was running. They're playing like a group that knows the leash is short on everyone.
The market has Boston as a -108 favorite on the line and -1.5 at +160 on the spread, with the total sitting at 8.5. The DK splits are loud on the home side — 67% of the spread bets are on Detroit getting the +1.5 — and yet the EV grades it a fade either way. That tracks. With Flaherty's command and a Tigers lineup down Gleyber Torres (side), Javier Baez, and Parker Meadows, the path to a blowout is real, but so is the path to a 5-3 grinder where the +1.5 cashes.
Best bet here isn't really a bet, it's a watch. If Flaherty walks the ballpark in the first 3 innings, this gets ugly fast. If he locates, Comerica plays big and the under is live. The Tigers absolutely have to find a way to steal this one because the schedule gets meaner before Skubal walks back through the door.