Chris Sale pitched a little longer than Justin Verlander in a matchup of ace pitchers, and it might've cost the Boston Red Sox a chance to split their series with the Detroit Tigers.
Nicholas Castellanos chased Sale with a two-out, go-ahead single in the eighth inning and Ian Kinsler homered in the sixth, lifting Detroit over Boston 2-1 on Monday.
"You've got Sale and Verlander going at it, you assume it's going to be a game like this," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "And they didn't disappoint."
Verlander gave up only an unearned run, three hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings. Justin Wilson (1-0) struck out one and walked one in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez struck out two and allowed a hit in the ninth, earning his second save in three chances to help Detroit win the four-game series.
Sale (0-1) struck out 10 and gave up two runs and five hits over 7 2/3 innings in his second start. He stayed in the game after pitching seven strong innings because manager John Farrell thought he still looked sharp.
"He was still strong and still had quality stuff," Farrell said. "He pitched around Kinsler with the base open, which I thought he was managing the situation, and he had handled Castellanos the three previous at-bats. He hits one through the hole. He pitched a hell of a game."
As good as Verlander was, the Tigers and their fans were thrilled with the performance of a beleaguered bullpen. Earlier in the day, Detroit sent struggling right-hander Bruce Rondon to Triple-A and purchased the contract of righty Joe Jimenez. Rondon was once viewed as the future closer for Detroit, but the Tigers swapped him out for a 21-year-old Puerto Rican who has yet to pitch in the majors.
"The bullpen is in flux right now," Verlander said. "But I think that will get a lot better as guys settle into their roles."
The Comerica Park crowd groaned when Ausmus went to the mound with two outs in the seventh to visit Verlander. He kept the right-hander in the game, much to the delight of the fans, who cheered even louder when Leon, the next batter, popped out to end the inning. Verlander raised his glove in the air to acknowledge a standing ovation, and Ausmus was the first person to shake his hand near the bottom step in the dugout.
"I felt good about leaving him in, but he was over 100 pitches and he'd only been to 103 his last outing and it's only his second start of the season," Ausmus said. "So I wanted to make sure he was OK and still felt strong."
The Red Sox scored their only run in the second inning after Castellanos' fielding error loaded the bases with no outs.
Mitch Moreland led off the inning with a double and Pablo Sandoval followed with a walk. Chris Young hit a grounder toward Castellanos at third, and instead of potentially starting a double play, he couldn't field the ball cleanly. Brock Holt then hit into a double play, scoring Moreland, and Verlander got Sandy Leon to hit an inning-ending liner to Castellanos.
FLU FIGHTERS
The Red Sox have fumigated and disinfected their clubhouse at Fenway Park to help fight the flu, which has hit the team hard and led to Robbie Ross being on the disabled list and Hanley Ramirez playing just two games.
"You can sit here and try to find excuses all day long," Sale said.
Farrell said it has been done a few times while the team has been on the road.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: OF Jackie Bradley Jr. is headed to the disabled list with an injured right knee and Farrell is hopeful he will only be out for 10 days. ... LHP David Price, on the DL with an elbow strain, had a 20-pitch bullpen before the game and may throw again Wednesday.
Tigers: Outfielder Justin Upton was scratched from the lineup with upper back tightness.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Begin a six-game homestand Tuesday night against Baltimore.
Tigers: Host Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon in the first of a three-game series.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Boston Red Sox
DETROIT -- Nicholas Castellanos chased Sale with a two-out, go-ahead single in the eighth inning and Ian Kinsler homered in the sixth, lifting Detroit over Boston 2-1 on Monday.
"You've got Sale and Verlander going at it, you assume it's going to be a game like this," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "And they didn't disappoint."
Verlander gave up only an unearned run, three hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings. Justin Wilson (1-0) struck out one and walked one in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez struck out two and allowed a hit in the ninth, earning his second save in three chances to help Detroit win the four-game series.
Sale (0-1) struck out 10 and gave up two runs and five hits over 7 2/3 innings in his second start. He stayed in the game after pitching seven strong innings because manager John Farrell thought he still looked sharp.
"He was still strong and still had quality stuff," Farrell said. "He pitched around Kinsler with the base open, which I thought he was managing the situation, and he had handled Castellanos the three previous at-bats. He hits one through the hole. He pitched a hell of a game."
As good as Verlander was, the Tigers and their fans were thrilled with the performance of a beleaguered bullpen. Earlier in the day, Detroit sent struggling right-hander Bruce Rondon to Triple-A and purchased the contract of righty Joe Jimenez. Rondon was once viewed as the future closer for Detroit, but the Tigers swapped him out for a 21-year-old Puerto Rican who has yet to pitch in the majors.
"The bullpen is in flux right now," Verlander said. "But I think that will get a lot better as guys settle into their roles."
The Comerica Park crowd groaned when Ausmus went to the mound with two outs in the seventh to visit Verlander. He kept the right-hander in the game, much to the delight of the fans, who cheered even louder when Leon, the next batter, popped out to end the inning. Verlander raised his glove in the air to acknowledge a standing ovation, and Ausmus was the first person to shake his hand near the bottom step in the dugout.
"I felt good about leaving him in, but he was over 100 pitches and he'd only been to 103 his last outing and it's only his second start of the season," Ausmus said. "So I wanted to make sure he was OK and still felt strong."
The Red Sox scored their only run in the second inning after Castellanos' fielding error loaded the bases with no outs.
Mitch Moreland led off the inning with a double and Pablo Sandoval followed with a walk. Chris Young hit a grounder toward Castellanos at third, and instead of potentially starting a double play, he couldn't field the ball cleanly. Brock Holt then hit into a double play, scoring Moreland, and Verlander got Sandy Leon to hit an inning-ending liner to Castellanos.
FLU FIGHTERS
The Red Sox have fumigated and disinfected their clubhouse at Fenway Park to help fight the flu, which has hit the team hard and led to Robbie Ross being on the disabled list and Hanley Ramirez playing just two games.
"You can sit here and try to find excuses all day long," Sale said.
Farrell said it has been done a few times while the team has been on the road.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: OF Jackie Bradley Jr. is headed to the disabled list with an injured right knee and Farrell is hopeful he will only be out for 10 days. ... LHP David Price, on the DL with an elbow strain, had a 20-pitch bullpen before the game and may throw again Wednesday.
Tigers: Outfielder Justin Upton was scratched from the lineup with upper back tightness.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Begin a six-game homestand Tuesday night against Baltimore.
Tigers: Host Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon in the first of a three-game series.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Boston - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
---|---|---|
Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
Pedroia flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
Benintendi popped out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
Betts grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
Kinsler grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
Castellanos popped out to first. | 0 | 0 |
Cabrera grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
Moreland doubled to deep right. | 0 | 0 |
Sandoval walked. | 0 | 0 |
Young grounded into fielder's choice to catcher, Moreland safe at third on error by third baseman Castellanos, Sandoval to second. | 0 | 0 |
Holt grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Moreland scored, Young out at second, Sandoval to third. | 1 | 0 |
León lined out to third. | 1 | 0 |
1 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
V. Martínez struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
Mahtook struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
McCann popped out to first. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
Hernández lined out to center. | 1 | 0 |
Pedroia singled to right. | 1 | 0 |
Benintendi flied out to right. | 1 | 0 |
Betts popped out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
Iglesias lined out to center. | 1 | 0 |
Jones struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
Romine hit a ground rule double to deep left. | 1 | 0 |
Kinsler struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
Moreland doubled to deep center. | 1 | 0 |
Sandoval struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
Young lined out to left. | 1 | 0 |
Holt flied out to center. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
Castellanos struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
Cabrera flied out to center. | 1 | 0 |
V. Martínez struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
León struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
Hernández grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
Pedroia flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
Mahtook flied out to right. | 1 | 0 |
McCann flied out to right. | 1 | 0 |
Iglesias fouled out to right. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
Benintendi flied out to center. | 1 | 0 |
Betts lined out to center. | 1 | 0 |
Moreland struck out looking. | 1 | 0 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
Jones struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
Romine struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
Kinsler homered to left (412 feet). | 1 | 1 |
Castellanos struck out looking. | 1 | 1 |
1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
Sandoval flied out to center. | 1 | 1 |
Young struck out looking. | 1 | 1 |
Holt walked. | 1 | 1 |
León fouled out to second. | 1 | 1 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
Cabrera lined out to right. | 1 | 1 |
V. Martínez singled to left. | 1 | 1 |
Mahtook popped out to third. | 1 | 1 |
McCann grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 1 |
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
Justin Wilson pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
J. Wilson relieved Verlander. | 1 | 1 |
Hernández struck out looking. | 1 | 1 |
Pedroia lined out to left. | 1 | 1 |
Benintendi walked. | 1 | 1 |
Betts flied out to left. | 1 | 1 |
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
Chris Sale pitching for Boston | BOS | DET |
Iglesias flied out to right. | 1 | 1 |
Jones struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
Romine doubled to left. | 1 | 1 |
Kinsler walked. | 1 | 1 |
Castellanos singled to left, Romine scored, Kinsler to third, Castellanos to second on error by third baseman Holt. | 1 | 2 |
Hembree relieved Sale. | 1 | 2 |
Cabrera flied out to right. | 1 | 2 |
1 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
Boston - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
Francisco Rodriguez pitching for Detroit | BOS | DET |
Rodríguez relieved J. Wilson. | 1 | 2 |
Moreland singled to right. | 1 | 2 |
Selsky ran for Moreland. | 1 | 2 |
Sandoval struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
Young grounded into fielder's choice to second, Selsky out at second. | 1 | 2 |
Holt struck out looking. | 1 | 2 |
0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors |
Boston Red Sox
Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pedroia 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | .280 | .333 | .280 |
Benintendi CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | .174 | .296 | .304 |
Betts RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | .100 | .308 | .100 |
Moreland 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .333 | .385 | .542 |
Selsky PR
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .167 | .333 |
Sandoval DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 24 | .130 | .200 | .304 |
Young LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .200 | .304 | .250 |
Holt 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | .125 | .417 | .125 |
León C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .368 | .368 | .632 |
Hernández SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .286 | .286 | .286 |
Totals | 31 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 150 | |||
BATTING 2B: Moreland 2 (5, Verlander 2) GIDP: Holt Red Sox RISP: 0-6 (Young 0-2, León 0-1, Holt 0-2, Sandoval 0-1) Team LOB: 6 | ||||||||||
FIELDING E: Holt (1, catch) |
Game Notes
The game is now underway after a 35 minute rain delay. |
Game Information
Stadium | Comerica Park, Detroit, MI |
Attendance | 24,672 (59.3% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
Game Time | 2:44 |
Weather | 66 degrees, cloudy |
Wind | 20 mph |
Umpires | Home Plate - Dan Bellino, First Base - Mike Estabrook, Second Base - Jerry Layne, Third Base - Marvin Hudson |
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