This has to be a must win for the Red Sox. They can't afford to go down 0-1 with Scherzer and Verlander looming ahead. Lester and Sanchez are coming off two different types of outings. Lester will be on 8 days rest, with plenty of gas in the tank. Sanchez coming off a rough outing vs Oakland, will already be on low confidence.
Interesting Stat I noticed. Despite his stellar regular season, Sanchez allowed a 404 average against the opposing leadoff hitter. In my opinion, Ellsbury may be even more valuable to the RS lineup than Pedy or Papi. Him on base catalyzes the entire Red Sox offense.
I noticed Lester had mixed results against the Tigers this year. A weak start in June and a strong performance in September. This June was terrible for Lester. I think his ERA was around 7. As soon as the month ended though, he became a completely different pitcher. You also have to factor in despite the rest, Miggy is still not 100% and the Tigers really never had one break out offensive game against the Athletics.