It’s been an odd start to the season in the American League.

Has Detroit been underwhelming? Yes. Has Boston been even more underwhelming? Certainly. However, with only five teams currently above .500 in the league, it’s not like either have put themselves in all that deep a hole. Heck, the Red Sox come into Monday’s action 13-21, yet the club is only three games out of a Wild Card spot.

Who will take a positive step this evening with a win? Let’s preview this tilt and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Red Sox vs. Tigers prediction, preview

The big story with this game is obviously the news that back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal has been scratched from his start. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman is reporting that the move is more precautionary than anything else, which is promising, yet any duration of time that Skubal could miss would be devastating to the Tigers — particularly given that he’s on the precipice of free agency. So far in 2026, Skubal has registered a 2.70 ERA and a 2.16 FIP over seven outings and 43.1 innings.

Amplifying the pain of this situation is that Detroit already had to utilize a bullpen day on Sunday, as the club tries to navigate injuries to Casey Mize (groin) and Justin Verlander (hip). Six different Tigers pitchers took the mound against the Rangers yesterday, with Brant Hurter, Brenan Hanifee and Ricky Vanasco all throwing more than 20 pitches. Tyler Holton will open for a second straight game and I’d guess former KBO starter Drew Anderson will be heavily involved in this evening’s emergency plan. He’s managed a 5.12 ERA over his 19.1 innings in 2026.

Now, if you’re an optimist, it’s worth noting that the Red Sox haven’t really hit anyone well this season, so a collection of middle relief arms isn’t exactly a death sentence. Boston currently ranks 27th in ISO (.118) and 28th in wRC+ (84) for the season as a whole, as Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Trevor Story have struggled to do much of anything. In fact, Duran mustered four hits and a pair of home runs in this weekend’s series versus the Astros, yet the outfielder is still batting .186 with a 50 wRC+. It’s that bad.

Conversely, the Tigers are tearing the cover off the ball — even if the surface results don’t tell that exact story. Detroit’s .347 expected wOBA is the third-highest mark in MLB, while the team also sits fourth in barrel rate (10.4%) and expected slugging percentage (.454). The runs are coming. Spencer Torkelson’s turned around an awful start, Dillon Dingler has become one of the best catchers in the world, and Kevin McGonigle’s hitting .315 with a 149 wRC+ as a 21-year-old rookie. There’s some real pieces to build around, and Payton Tolle will have to be careful in his third start of 2026. Walks and home runs have been an issue for the young southpaw at the MLB level, yet Tolle does own a 1.80 xERA in his 10.2 innings this season.

Red Sox vs. Tigers pick, best bet

Best Bet: Over 8 (-108)

The Tigers are swinging the bats well and I think the Red Sox should be able to take some advantage of a tired Detroit bullpen.

Strong Lean: Payton Tolle Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-159)

Length isn’t exactly Tolle’s strength, as he’s pitched six innings only once at the MLB level. On top of that, the Tigers have the second-lowest chase rate (27.9%) and the third-lowest swinging strike rate (9.5%) in the league.