Analysis of the Red Sox series victory over the Tigers
After losing two out of three to the Yankees, the Red Sox headed to Detroit for a three-game set against the Tigers. The series opened with a matchup between Matt Manning and Michael Wacha, with the latter making his Red Sox debut.
Wacha pitched well, allowing just one run over 4.1 innings, but Matt Manning shut down the Red Sox lineup. With the score tied at 1 in the bottom of the eighth, Javier Baez turned around a Ryan Brasier fastball for his first Tigers home run, securing a 3-1 win for the home team.
Game two looked like more of the same. The Red Sox could get nothing going against Tigers starter Tyler Alexander, and Detroit jumped on starter Rich Hill to take an early 3-0 lead. The Red Sox finally tied the game in the top of the sixth on RBIs doubles from Kiké Hernández and J.D. Martinez and an RBI single from Rafael Devers and took the lead on another RBI single from Devers in the eighth.
Meanwhile, Garrett Whitlock overmatched the Tigers lineup, tossing four scoreless innings to close out a 5-3 Red Sox win.
Game three brought a matchup of an old friend, as Eduardo Rodriguez toed the rubber against his former teammates. It was not a happy reunion. The Red Sox pounded their former workhorse, tagging Rodriguez for seven runs over 3.2 innings.
Hernández built on his strong finish to Wednesday’s game with a double and a home run, and Jackie Bradley Jr. got on the board with a pair of two-run doubles. The Tigers made it interesting against the Red Sox bullpen, but Hansel Robles shut the door on a 9-7 Red Sox victory.