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Boston vs Detroit MLB Baseball Free Picks & Gambling Odds

Boston Red Sox (0-0) vs Detroit Tigers (0-0)

I know it is early but I don’t like the look of this Red Sox team.   They had an epic collapse last year and I don’t see where they are improved at all heading into this season.  A bunch of players had great years last season and it still wasn’t enough.  

Thursday April 5
Comerica Park
1:05PM
Moneyline:  Detroit -140, Boston +130
O/U: 7

Matchup | Preview

Probable Starters:

Red Sox LH Jon Lester (2011: 15-9, 3.47 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Justin Verlander (2011: 24-5, 2.40 ERA)

Boston

Do you really think that Jacoby Ellsbury is a 30 homer guy, I don’t.  The one guy who really underperformed was free agent bust Carl Crawford.  He should rebound, once he gets off the disabled list.  This isn’t a bad team but I don’t think they are a true competitor in the American League.

Pretty good pitching matchup Thursday as is to be expected for opening day.  Last year lefty Jon Lester missed the Tigers in their two series but Boston did just fine without him going 5-1 against Detroit.  Lester is backed by a solid lineup, albeit one that couldn’t push a single run across against Verlander last year.

The interesting thing will be to see if the aggressiveness new manager Bobby Valentine displayed in preseason carries over when the games begin to count. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Detroit

The Tigers made a huge splash when they signed first baseman Prince Fielder in the offseason.

I don’t think it was a bad move but I think it was unnecessary for them to spend what they did to upgrade a position where you could make the argument that they already had the best hitter in baseball.

The move shifted Miguel Cabrera across the diamond where he has already been struggling in the field.  I guess sometimes teams just make the move to be made.

All that won’t make any difference Thursday if Justin Verlander continues the kind of run he was on last year.  He wasn’t electric in the playoffs but Verlander pushed the Tigers there by winning 24 games, capturing MVP and Cy Young Awards.  On days when he is on the newly supercharged offense won’t have to do much more than catch the ball.  When he is off they can certainly bail him out too.  I don’t think he can match last year but he will still be a very good bet

(NOTE:  he lost the opener and 2 of his first 3 decision last year).

O/U Pick:  Over
Score Prediction:  Detroit 6 – Boston 2

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By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.