BOSTON — Detroit’s Rick Porcello would rather forget the last time he pitched in Fenway Park. He’s likely to remember his outing Saturday night.
Porcello pitched eight solid innings to win his sixth straight start, and the red-hot Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-1.
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WHO: Tigers (A. Sanchez 0-2) at Red Sox (Peavy 1-1)
WHEN: 8 p.m. Sunday
TELEVISION: ESPN
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It was the 10th consecutive road win for the Tigers, who are a majors’ best 26-12. Detroit won for the 14th time in 17 games.
In his last Fenway start, the right-hander was tagged for nine runs and seven hits – three homers – in five innings during a 20-4 loss on Sept. 4.
“I got beat around. That’s the way it is,” he said. “Everybody gets their butt kicked and the difference is how well you can rebound from it.”
On Saturday, Porcello (7-1) gave up one run on six hits, striking out four and walking one. It was the fifth time in six starts he’s allowed two or fewer runs.
Miguel Cabrera had a homer, an RBI single and one of Detroit’s six doubles, and Victor Martinez added a pair of singles.
“We’ve been playing some good baseball right now,” Cabrera said. “We’re aggressive and focused on what we’re going to do on the field and getting it done.”
Tigers Manager Brad Ausmus felt Porcello had good command of all of his pitches.
“That was probably his best outing,” he said. “His fastball is always the key, but he threw good curveballs and some change-ups.”
Xander Bogaerts had a solo homer and Mike Napoli hit three singles for the slumping Red Sox, who have scored just one run in the first two games of the three-game series. Boston lost the opener 1-0 Friday.
“Early runs, we find ourselves behind,” Boston Manager John Farrell said. “One real scoring threat in the fourth inning and we come up empty. That was pretty much the story here tonight.”
John Lackey (5-3) gave up more than two runs for the first time in five starts, allowing six – five earned – on nine hits in 51/3 innings. He felt like he was just missing in the strike zone.
“Just didn’t get some locations there in the fifth inning,” he said. “That was pretty much the inning I’d like to take back.”
Boston’s David Ortiz had a single to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
With Detroit leading 1-0 in the third, Cabrera hit a fly ball down the right-field line, hooking it around the Pesky Pole.
“It was a lucky shot. Right on the line,” Cabrera said, smiling. “In other ballparks it’s a fly.”
In the fourth, Torii Hunter had an RBI double and scored on Cabrera’s single to make it 4-0.
Boston went scoreless for 14 straight innings until Bogaerts homered leading off the fifth.
Rajai Davis’ RBI double made it 5-1 and chased Lackey in the sixth. Davis scored on Ian Kinsler’s sacrifice fly.
The Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the second, but only managed one run on Alex Avila’s fielder’s choice grounder.
Boston’s slumbering offense loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth, but A.J. Pierzynski grounded weakly to second.
NOTES: The Red Sox placed 3B Will Middlebrooks on the 15-day DL before the game for the second time this season. He fractured his right index finger Friday. He missed 19 games in April with a strained right calf. To take his place on the roster, the team recalled Brock Holt from Triple-A Pawtucket. Holt played third and batted ninth, going 0 for 3.
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