The Detroit Tigers (10-9) kick off a four-game series tonight against the Boston Red Sox (7-11) aiming to build on any momentum gained from a recently concluded homestand that saw them sweep the Marlins and the Royals. That six-game streak will be tested, however, by Detroit’s 2-8 record away from home. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are still struggling to find their footing this season. They salvaged the final game in their three-game series against the Twins but Wednesday night in the finale of their three-game series against the Twins. They are 3-3 at Fenway this season.
On the mound, Detroit will turn to right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 3.94 ERA), who is coming off a strong performance where he allowed just one run over 5.2 innings against the Marlins. Mize, whose splitter has been effective recently, looks to improve upon his 0-1 record with a 3.95 ERA in five career starts against Boston.
The Red Sox counter with left-hander Ranger Suarez (1-1, 5.02 ERA), who signed a six-year, $140-million contract this offseason and is looking to build on his best performance in a Boston uniform, a six-inning shutout of the Cardinals on April 11. Detroit’s offense has hit just .213 against left-handers this season.
Players to watch include Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle, who leads the team with a .309 average, and Boston’s Willson Contreras who is hitting .382 over his last 10 games. Know that Contreras sat out Wednesday’s game with back issues.
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Tigers vs. Red Sox
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Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
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Network/Streaming: Apple TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Latest Odds: Tigers vs. Red Sox
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
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Moneyline: Detroit Tigers (+104), Boston Red Sox (-126)
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Spread: Tigers +1.5 (-199), Red Sox -1.5 (+163)
Probable Starting Pitchers: Tigers vs. Red Sox
Pitching matchup for April 17:
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Tigers: Casey Mize
Season Totals: 16.0 IP, 1-1, 3.94 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 18K, 6 BB -
Red Sox: Ranger Suarez
Season Totals: 14.1 IP, 1-1, 5.02 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 11K, 5 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Tigers vs. Red Sox
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Riley Greene was 3-10 in the series against the Royals with all 3 hits coming in the series finale
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Top Betting Trends & Insights: Tigers vs. Red Sox
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The Tigers are 9-10 on the Run Line this season
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The Red Sox are 6-12 on the Run Line this season
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The OVER has cashed 8 times in Boston’s 18 games this season (8-10)
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The OVER has cashed 8 times in the Tigers’ 19 games this season (8-9-2)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions: Tigers vs. Red Sox
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s game between the Tigers and the Red Sox:
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Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Red Sox on the Moneyline.
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Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Red Sox on the Run Line.
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Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 7.5.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
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Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
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Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
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Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
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Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
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