, and the Red Sox and Tigers are locked in a pitchers' duel between Jon Lester and Anibal Sanchez, with neither team managing to push across a run.
While the game remains scoreless, neither side has been completely perfect. And the growing concern for Detroit has to be Anibal Sanchez' pitch count. The right-handed starter has looked downright dominant at times, striking out a ridiculous nine batters in four frames of work. Four of them even came in the first, thanks to a dropped third strike behind Shane Victorino.
But those strikeouts have cost him lots of pitches, as have three Red Sox walks. And for both of these teams, an early appearance from the bullpen is the last thing they want. If Boston can pick up another baserunner or two in the fifth, Jim Leyland could be facing a tough choice whether to send his starter back out for the sixth.
As for the Red Sox, getting Sanchez out of the game has to be priority number one, since they just can't hit the ball! Zero hits through four innings is certainly not good, and right now they're fighting a really ugly strike zone from Joe West as much as anything else. Seriously, look at this thing. Look at those three little dots isolated in a sea of green in the lower right hand corner against LHH. They sit there shouting "there is no redemption for Joe West! Robots! Robots! ROBOTS!"