What we’re watching: Can Tigers add to Boston’s misery?

- Finally back home, if only briefly, after losing six in a row at Tampa Bay and New York, the Red Sox will face the Tigers to start a four-game series tonight. The opener, though, looks like the toughest matchup of the series for Boston, as Edwin Jackson and the struggling Brad Penny are due to square off. Jackson is 2-4 with a 5.44 ERA lifetime against the Red Sox, but he hasn’t faced them during his breakthrough season. Jackson ranks second in the AL with a 2.62 ERA, and he hasn’t given up more than three earned runs in a start since May 4. Penny has given up 12 runs over 11 innings in back-to-back losses, and the Red Sox have lost six of his last seven starts. - The Rays didn’t take full advantage of Boston’s losses while dropping two out of three in Seattle over the weekend. Now they’re facing the Angels in Anaheim, but they caught a big break in missing both John Lackey and Jered Weaver in the series. Sean O’Sullivan will start for the Angels tonight, followed by Ervin Santana and Trevor Bell. The Rays will use Matt Garza in this one. He has a 3.21 ERA since the All-Star break and a 3.63 mark overall. His .222 average against ranks second in the AL behind Jackson’s .217. Game of the Night L.A. Dodgers vs. San Francisco - The Dodgers have dropped 10 of their last 15 games to shrink their NL West lead to 5 1/2 games over the Giants and Rockies. They’ll be sending Hiroki Kuroda to the mound tonight in a bid to halt their current losing streak. While the Dodgers are struggling overall, they’re 4-0 in the right-hander’s starts since the All-Star break. The Giants will start Jonathan Sanchez, who has won back-to-back starts to improve to 5-9 with a 4.49 ERA for the season. Odds are that something will have to give tonight. Both Kuroda (in four starts) and Sanchez (in five) are winless in Dodger-Giant games in their careers.