The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers are both vying for a chance at the American League wild-card playoff spot as they wrap up their three-game series in Detroit.
With the Minnesota Twins currently holding the third wild-card position, the Red Sox trail by 3.5 games, while the Tigers are five games back.
The series has been competitive so far. The Red Sox took the opener in extra innings, but the Tigers bounced back with a narrow 2-1 win on Saturday.
In that game, Tarik Skubal delivered a standout performance, pitching eight innings and solidifying his status as a contender for the AL Cy Young Award.
"We're going to keep it the same as we have all year," Skubal said . "We need to focus on winning each day's game. We need to win (Sunday) and win the series."
As the teams prepare for the rubber match, the Red Sox are looking to break a pattern of inconsistency that has plagued them since early August.
"We stay the course," manager Alex Cora said . "We actually believe we can do more. ... Now we go. We've got to play better baseball but it should be fun the rest of the way."
They have struggled to string together wins, and their manager emphasized the need for improvement as they head into the final stretch of the season.
On the mound for Boston will be Cooper Criswell, who has had a mixed August, allowing 10 runs in 14 innings across five appearances. He previously faced the Tigers once this season, securing a win with a solid outing.
"You're going to get the (platoon) advantage a ton with just the way the league is comprised. I mean, you just have more right-handed pitchers than left-handed pitchers, more right-handed starters than left-handed starters," manager A.J. Hinch said .
"It's a fun lineup to write against a right-handed pitcher, and then you're staring down at their bullpen wondering: When are they going to get a lefty up? And what is the situation going to be?"
The Tigers have yet to announce their starting pitcher for Sunday, but they are expected to field a lineup heavy on left-handed hitters to exploit the matchup against Criswell. This strategy is common in the league, given the prevalence of right-handed pitchers.
"It's a tough matchup," Hinch said . "He did a good job of hanging in there and taking a good approach."
Detroit recently snapped a two-game losing streak and is eager to build on their earlier success, which included a six-game winning streak that brought them closer to the wild-card race.
As both teams look to enhance their playoff hopes, the outcome of this game will be crucial.
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