Tigers 3, Red Sox 0
Doug Fister pitched seven strong innings and Andy Dirks delivered an RBI triple as visiting Detroit struck first in the battle between two division leaders.
Fister (12-7) walked three and hit a batter in the first two innings but induced a pair of double plays to escape those jams before cruising through the middle innings. The right-hander ended up scattering four hits and walking four as the Tigers won for the fourth time in five games and moved 8 1/2 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.
John Lackey (8-12) breezed through the first six innings but ended up allowing three runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 frames. Daniel Nava had three hits for the Red Sox, who had a three-game winning streak come to an end but remain 5 1/2 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
Detroit started to rally in the seventh when Victor Martinez led off with a single to left. Dirks followed and drove a fly ball deep into the triangle in center field, just out of Jacoby Ellsbury’s reach for a run-scoring triple before scoring on a double-play groundout.
The Tigers added some insurance in the eighth on Prince Fielder’s sacrifice fly. Phil Coke and Bruce Rondon took care of the bottom of the eighth and Jose Veras worked around a leadoff double in a scoreless ninth to pick up his 21st save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Detroit 3B Miguel Cabrera (abdomen) took batting practice before the game but missed his third straight contest. He could return by the end of the series. … Tigers SS Jose Iglesias, who moved to Detroit from Boston in the three-team trade that brought Jake Peavy to the Red Sox before the non-waiver deadline, made his first start against his former team and went 1-for-3 with a double while making a few spectacular plays defensively. … Lackey entered the day receiving an average of 3.42 runs of support - the lowest on the staff and the sixth-lowest mark among AL qualifiers. He has suffered a loss or a no-decision in 10 quality starts, including his last three turns.