The Boston Red Sox became the last team in Major League Baseball to have a five game losing streak this season. Boston reached that by losing game one of a three game series to the Detroit Tigers 4-2 at Comerica Park Tuesday night.
Boston (63-45) got off to a solid start in trying to break their recent slide that including a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. After Xander Bogaerts reached second base on an error in the top of the first inning, JD Martinez singled in Bogaerts for an early lead. Hunter Renfroe led off the top of the second with a solo homerun, his 17th, to double the lead to 2-0. Miguel Cabrera answered that for Detroit (52-57) in the home half of the second, launching his 498th career homer to slice the margin in half. Harold Castro tied it with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Akil Baddoo doubled home Derek Hill in the fifth for the game winner. The Sox had a chance in the top half of the seventh when Jarren Duran singled to lead off, and eventually stole second base but Tigers reliever Michael Fulmer struck out Rafael Devers, Bogaerts, and Martinez consecutively. Robbie Grossman would add an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to finish the scoring.
Garrett Richards (6-7) took the loss on the hill allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Duran, Martinez, and Christian Vazquez had two hits a piece. Cabrera and Grossman had two hits each to lead Detroit to the win, while Kyle Funkhouser (5-1) picked up the victory in relief of starter Wily Peralta who only gave up one earned run over 4.2 innings. Gregory Soto pitched the ninth and got his 12th save. Boston tries to once again snap out of the losing streak on Wednesday night sending LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (7-6, 5.60 ERA) to the mound. RHP Casey Mize (6-5, 3.41) takes the ball for the Tigers.
