The Boston Red Sox play the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday in Game 4 of their AL championship series. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET. Listen to the live radio broadcast HERE.
Boston can take a commanding 3-1 lead in the ALCS with a win on Wednesday. Detroit's pitching rotation of Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander has managed only one win. It's now up to starting pitcher Doug Fister to limit Boston's offense and even the series for the Tigers.
Fister (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is making just his second postseason start, ESPN reports. His lone postseason start saw him allow just three runs in six innings in the Tigers' 8-6 win in the ALDS Game 4. Against Boston, he's had mixed results: a six-run outing on June 21, then just four hits given up on Sept. 2.
"I think a lot of it is the fact of just executing - keeping the ball down, mixing pitches and not getting in any sort of routine," Fister told reporters, via ESPN. "Their hitters are very smart, very intelligent. And you know, we've seen each other a lot."
Fister isn't one of Detroit's top three pitchers, but Boston manager John Farrell acknowledged the right-hander poses his own set of challenges for the Red Sox batters.
"He might not have the sheer power and velocity the other three guys have in this rotation, but he does it a little differently," Farrell said.
Jake Peavy (0-0, 1.59) is tasked with dueling Fister. Peavy allowed only one run in Game 4 of their ALDS against Tampa. In Peavy's last start against Detroit on July 25, while he was still with Chicago, he gave up four runs but managed to nab the win.
"I do know those guys well," Peavy said. "It comes down to (Wednesday) night, executing the game plan that we think we're going to go with and get those guys out. It's a huge challenge with the way they swing the bat."
