Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 05/05/26

The Detroit Tigers received horrible news on Monday when Tarik Skubal was announced to undergo surgery on his elbow. That will sideline the Detroit ace for 2-3 months, putting pressure on the rest of the Tigers’ starting rotation. Detroit already had thin pitching depth behind Skubal, but the offseason signing of Framber Valdez does look increasingly important now. Valdez is fresh off a quality start against a tough Braves offense, delivering 6.0 innings of 2-run ball with 8 Ks along the way. He now draws a Boston offense that has a 95 wRC+ against southpaw pitching. Look for Valdez to step up for Detroit and continue his strong form.

Boston has yet to announce a starter for Tuesday’s game as of publishing. There are rumors of Bryan Bello getting the nod, however. Of course, wait until there is a starter announced before placing bets — but if Bello is indeed the starter for Boston, then I love this spot for the Tigers. Bello has tossed 25.2 innings so far with a 9.12 ERA to show for it. The right-hander is failing to record strikeouts and he is getting barreled up far too often. With a 109 wRC+ and the eighth-best wOBA against right-handed pitching, I side with Detroit to win this game by the necessary margin.

Red Sox vs Tigers prediction: Detroit -1.5 (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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