The Boston Red Sox have struggled to put together an extensive win streak in order to catch up with the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East. They could get on track with a win over the struggling Detroit Tigers on Sunday night. Boston has won 19 of its 29 home games to climb six games above .500 overall. Meanwhile, the Tigers have really struggled on the road this season with a 13-20 mark away from home. The Red Sox have been pleased with the work they have received from Drew Pomeranz of late. MLB fans in Boston will be hoping he keeps it up opposite Daniel Norris for Detroit on Sunday Night Baseball.
Sunday Night Baseball Details
Date: Sunday June 11th, 2017
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Line: Boston -130
Why The Tigers Might Win…
Norris is coming off of a pair of rough starts against the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels. Considering the competition level he will need to be a lot better on Sunday night or he will be in trouble against a deep and talented Red Sox lineup. Norris is 2-4 with a 4.48 ERA on the season and he hasn’t earned a win since May 1st.
One good piece of news about Norris is that he has pitched better on the road than at home this season. In home games, he has an ERA of 5.14 with a record of 1-3 and a WHIP of 1.68. On the road, he’s 1-1 with an ERA of 3.90 and a WHIP of 1.50. The main difference seems to be home runs allowed as he’s given up five in 28 innings of work at home compared to two in 32.1 innings of work on the road.
Meanwhile, the Detroit offense has actually been pretty good. The Tiger rank seventh in on base percentage and 11th in runs scored this season. Detroit is capable of scoring runs in bunches but they will need to figure out Pomeranz in order to provide Norris with some support on Sunday.
Why The Red Sox Might Win…
Pomeranz has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five straight starts for the Red Sox. His ERA has dropped from 5.29 to 4.02 over that span and he has put together three straight wins to improve to 6-3 on the season. Pomeranz has thrown a ton of strikeouts as well, as he has 26 over his last 18.0 innings of work. If Pomeranz continues to deal then Boston will be tough to beat on Sunday night.
The other key to look at here is his home-away splits. At home, Pomeranz is 4-1. While he has a higher home ERA (4.11 compared to 3.91 on the road), that is a bit misleading. Batters are hitting just .231 against him at home compared to .288 on the road. His WHIP at home is 1.26 compared to 1.51 on the road.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox offense has shown signs of life but consistency has been the biggest issue. Boston has scored five runs or more in each of its last four wins while being held to two runs or less in each of its last three losses. Considering the numbers that the Angels and Royals were able to put up against Norris, there is a good chance the Red Sox offense gets going on Sunday Night Baseball.
Outlook
Pomeranz is finally starting to come around for Boston and that’s a very good sign for the franchise. The Red Sox have the offense to put up some big numbers but they need their pitching staff to at least partially carry the load until they come around and find their consistency. Meanwhile, the Tigers can score a ton of runs but they have also struggled in terms of giving up too many runs thanks to the inconsistencies of their pitching staff. Norris has struggled in each of his past couple of starts so it’s difficult to trust him on the road in a tough ballpark on Sunday Night Baseball. Pomeranz will continue to pitch at a high level and the Red Sox offense will come alive in a win on Sunday night.
Sunday Night Baseball Pick: Boston -155
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