Jon Lester looks to break a two-game losing streak Friday at Fenway.
Two teams headed in opposite directions, the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, begin a weekend series Friday night at Fenway Park.
Boston (58-44) is feeling good after sweeping the Los Angeles Angels and finishing 6-4 on its tough AL West trip. It was the first time the Angels have been swept at home in 80 series.
The Red Sox are 1-3 at home since the All-Star break and 30-20 for the season (minus ½-unit). Their 60 percent home winning percentage is far down from 69 percent the last two years. They have the AL’s fourth best record, but trail New York by seven games in the AL East and Tampa Bay by five games in the wild-card.
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Detroit’s (51-50) second-half tailspin has it 5.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central. The team is 3-12 since the break and just got swept in a four-game series at Tampa Bay.
Road play has killed the Tigers all year. They’re lost 10 straight away and are 16-33 on the season. Their minus 16.8 road units are an AL worst.
Injuries have crippled both squads. Boston recently got catcher Victor Martinez (thumb) back, with Dustin Pedroia (foot) and Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs) still sidelined. Oft-injured right fielder J.D. Drew (hamstring) is questionable for Friday.
The Tigers placed Magglio Ordonez (ankle), Brandon Inge (broken hand) and Carlos Guillen (calf) on the DL in the last eight days. Those are three key hitters and has them scrambling for replacements.
Detroit doesn’t have the organizational depth of the big-budget Red Sox. It just acquired Jhonny Peralta from Cleveland to play third base for Inge. Boston isn’t likely to make any moves for Saturday’s trading deadline except for relief help.
Detroit’s Armando Galarraga (3-3, 4.33 ERA) will start Friday night. He’s had an up-and-down season, literally. He’s had two stints in Triple-A, plus a perfect game bid on June 2 that was ruined by a blown call by umpire Jim Joyce.
The 28-year-old righty had made two starts (4.40 ERA) since being called up from Toledo the second time. He got no-decisions in home losses to Texas (8-0) and Toronto (5-3).
Galarraga has a 7.78 road ERA in four starts this year. He got a win at home against Boston on May 16, one run over 5 2/3 innings. This is his Fenway debut.
Jon Lester (11-5, 2.92 ERA) will pitch for Boston. The Red Sox have lost his last two starts (4.02 ERA), with defensive miscues playing a role in both.
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The second game was at Seattle last Saturday and he was perfect through 5 1/3 innings before an Eric Patterson error unglued him. Boston was 12-3 in Lester’s previous 15 starts before the last two.
The 26-year-old is one of the most feared lefties in the game. His strikeout rate (9.49) is dominant and batters are only hitting .207 off him, easily a career low.
Lester got a no-decision at the Tigers in May, allowing four earned runs over seven innings. His only home start against them was in April 2008 (four earned runs over 5 1/3 innings).
Detroit went 2-1 in the May home series against Boston. The Tigers are 6-21 in their last 27 games at Boston, last visiting in August 2009.
First pitch on Friday is 4:10 p.m. (PT). Weather should be clear and in the low 70s.