MLB Saturday: Boston’s John Lester Could Be a Slight Baseball Bet Favorite Against Detroit on Saturday Night

The Boston Red Sox might take on the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night as baseball betting favorites in the MLB sportsbook. Boston sends pitcher Jon Lester to the mound to shut down the Tigers. Lester, like most of Boston’s starting rotation, has been just okay, not great, but just okay. His record is 3 and 2. His ERA is 3.71. His WHIP is 1.24.

The Detroit Tigers will try to stop Boston’s hitters from tearing them up by sending Dontrelle Willis to the mound. The erratic Willis hasn’t produced very good numbers in 2010. Out of 6 starts he is 1 and 1 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The WHIP is extremely worrisome because Boston can hit the baseball.

Boston could be a slight favorite in the MLB wagering sportsbook on Saturday night, but because these teams appear evenly matched, sports gamblers shouldn’t be surprised if Detroit is the favorite.

Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers

Where: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan

When: May 15th, 2010 at 7:05 pm EST

Neither team has a baseball wagering edge based on the trends.

• The Boston Red Sox are 6 and 1 in their last 7 games versus a left-handed starter.
• The Boston Red Sox are 1 and 4 in Jon Lester’s last 5 starts versus a team with a winning record.
• The Detroit Tigers are 4 and 1 in their last 5 games versus a left-handed starter.
• The Detroit Tigers are 1 and 5 in Dontrelle Willis’ last 6 starts during game 2 of a series.

This is an extremely difficult game to handicap. Either team could be the baseball bet favorite in this game because the starting pitchers both appear capable of either throwing a gem or throwing a dud.

The Red Sox score 5.14 runs per game and have a .270 batting average as a team. The Detroit Tigers score 4.50 runs per game but bat .274 as a team. This game could go either way but my gut tells me that Boston is the team to bet on Saturday night.

Jon Lester should get the run support he needs in order to beat the Detroit Tigers because when it comes down to it, Lester has pitched well against decent teams while Willis has not.

Lester gave up only 4 hits and 2 runs to the New York Yankees in 7 innings in his last start. Against the Los Angeles Angels 2 starts ago he gave up 5 hit sand 1 run in 8 innings of work.

By contrast, Willis has been okay against good teams, but not great. He allowed 4 hits and 3 runs in 5.1 innings pitched in his last game against the Minnesota Twins. Willis can be either hot or cold while Lester most likely is going to be hot again. If his teammates come to play, Boston should beat Detroit on Saturday night.

Jon Lester and the Boston Red Sox appear to be the better baseball bet in this game on Saturday night.

MLB Free Pick: Boston Red Sox