The Detroit Tigers roll into Fenway Park this weekend carrying the heavy baggage of a nine-game road losing streak. They'll face a Boston Red Sox team looking to build momentum at home in what shapes up to be a compelling pitching duel.

Detroit (10-10) sits third in the AL Central, while Boston (8-11) holds fourth in the competitive AL East. The series opener sets the stage for a classic contrast on the mound. The Tigers will send out ace Tarik Skubal, who has been brilliant with a 2.22 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He'll be opposed by the Red Sox's Brayan Bello, who seeks to find his rhythm against a Tigers lineup eager to break their road woes.

For Boston, success has often started with keeping the ball in the park; they are 5-3 when not allowing a home run. Meanwhile, Detroit's offense has shown it can erupt, boasting a perfect 2-0 record when they connect for two or more homers in a game.

Keep an eye on the hot bats. For Boston, Wilyer Abreu has been a key contributor, and Willson Contreras comes in red-hot, driving in nine runs over his last ten games. The Tigers counter with Kevin McGonigle, who's hitting .306, and the power threat of Kerry Carpenter, who has three homers in his recent stretch.

Both teams enter playing solid baseball, each going 6-4 over their last ten games. The Tigers hold a slight edge in run differential and team ERA during that span, but Fenway Park presents its own unique challenge.

Injuries will play a role, as both clubs have significant names on the IL. Boston's rotation is without Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck, while Detroit misses the veteran presence of Justin Verlander and several key bullpen arms. How each team's depth responds could be the difference in this series.