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(Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers again try for their first win of the season this afternoon when the Boston Red Sox raise their second championship banner in the last four years in the 97th home opener at historic Fenway Park.

The Tigers, picked by many to reach the postseason this year, have opened the year with six straight losses - their most since beginning the 2003 campaign with nine consecutive defeats en route to an American League-record 119.

Detroit's struggles continued on Sunday, as it was drubbed 13-2 by the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. Magglio Ordonez and Ramon Santiago had two hits apiece for the Tigers, who have been hurt by an underachieving offense thus far. The club has been outscored 39-15 during the skid, and has lost six straight for the first time since dropping eight in a row from September 16-23, 2005.

The Tigers, though, are still without leadoff man Curtis Granderson, who is on the disabled list with a broken finger, while slugger Gary Sheffield has been hampered with a finger injury of his own.

Justin Verlander (0-1) was shelled for nine runs -- just four earned -- on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He also walked three and struck out four while tossing 109 pitches.

Hoping to stop the bleeding tonight in the opener of this three-game set will be 43-year-old left-hander Kenny Rogers, who pitched well in defeat on Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals. Rogers, who missed most of last season with injuries, surrendered two runs and five hits over six innings of that one, but the Tigers were unable to cross the plate in the 4-0 loss.

Rogers is no stranger to the Red Sox having faced them 47 times over the course of his 20-year career. He is 11-7 lifetime against them with four saves and a 4.81 ERA, but has not defeated them since 2003.

Boston, meanwhile, finally returns home after opening the season in Japan back on March 25, then traveling to Oakland before playing this past weekend in Toronto, where they were swept in a three-game series.

Josh Beckett returned from the disabled list in Sunday's finale, but the Red Sox were done in by Frank Thomas' grand slam, as Toronto rolled to a 7-4 win at Rogers Centre. Beckett (0-1) allowed five runs on just three hits in 4 2/3 innings. The big leagues' only 20-game winner last season, Beckett, who was on the shelf with a lower back strain, walked four and fanned six in the game.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew all homered for the defending World Series champion Red Sox, who are just 3-4 on the young season.

Heading to the hill today for the Red Sox will be Japanese right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in his two starts this season. Matsuzaka was superb against the A's on Tuesday, as he allowed a run and two hits over 6 2/3 innings, while fanning nine without walking a batter in picking up his first win of the season.

Matsuzaka faced the Tigers twice last season and was 1-1 against them with a 4.50 ERA.

Detroit won its final three games against the Red Sox last year to win the season series, 4-3. The Red Sox, though, hold a slight 12-11 edge in the overall matchup since the start of the 2005 campaign.

Boston, which will be opening the home portion of its schedule against Detroit for the seventh time in its rich history, is 62-45 in home openers, 9-3 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds and 53-42 at Fenway Park, winning the last three since losing to Toronto in 2004. The Red Sox are 3-3 in home openers against the Tigers.