BOSTON – Jarrod Saltalamacchia was behind the plate for Clay Buchholz’s seven shutout innings. Then he drove in the only run of a rainy game in the eighth.

Saltalamacchia, who has been heating up after a slow start, drove a run-scoring double through the mist and off the left-field wall and the Boston Red Sox won their fifth straight, 1-0 over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.

“It seemed like the first to score was going to win the game,” Saltalamacchia said. “Both pitchers pitched great. … They had a lot of situations to score and we had (Buchholz) to hold them down.”

Both starters went seven innings. Buchholz, who won his previous three starts, struck out seven and allowed four hits and one walk. Phil Coke, who was 0-3 in his previous five starts, had four strikeouts and gave up three hits and a walk.

“I can’t be upset with anything other than the fact that we didn’t end up winning,” Coke said.

Daniel Bard (1-3), who replaced Buchholz to start the eighth, threw one pitch before the game was delayed for 26 minutes by rain. When play resumed, he retired the side in order.

The Tigers had plenty of chances to score. They were 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and the game ended with Andy Dirks standing on third as Jonathan Papelbon struck out Ryan Raburn for his eighth save in nine opportunities.

“He’s got a lot on his fastball,” Saltalamacchia said. “He’s controlling the ball where he wants to put it.”

The feeling in the Tigers’ bullpen about one of their relievers was less pleasant.

Ryan Perry set down the first two Red Sox batters in the bottom of the eighth, but Manager Jim Leyland brought in left-hander Daniel Schlereth (0-1) to face lefty Carl Crawford. The move backfired when Crawford walked on a full count. Leyland visited Schlereth on the mound but left him in.

“I just went out and told him, ‘Just don’t get caught in between Crawford stealing and the hitter. If we’ve got to hold him, throw over there,’” Leyland said. “It seemed like he got caught a little and left (the pitch) up.”

Saltalamacchia pounded it off the wall on a night when the rain kept other balls from traveling far and gave outfielders trouble seeing them.

“(Saltalamacchia) is a big, strong kid,” Boston Manager Terry Francona said. “Carl put it in another gear because, off the bat, I don’t think that’s … sure that he’s going to be able to score, and we made it hold up.”

In his last nine starts, Saltalamacchia is 6 for 21, raising his batting average from .194 to .221.

The Tigers threatened in the ninth when Victor Martinez, who caught for Boston last year, led off with a double. Dirks ran for him and took third on a groundout before Papelbon struck out the last two batters.

NOTES: Boston right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained ligament in his pitching elbow that could sideline him for a month. The move came two days after another starter, John Lackey, went on the DL with a strained right elbow.