Red Sox 7, Tigers 2
DETROIT -- Jackie Bradley Jr., who was hitting .121 when the game began, had a career-best five RBIs Sunday, and five Boston pitchers cobbled together a four-hitter to lead the Red Sox to a 7-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Center fielder Bradley had a bases-loaded triple, a solo home run and a bases-loaded walk to account for his five runs driven in.
He came up after second baseman Josh Rutledge was walked intentionally to load the bases with two outs in the eighth. Bradley worked the count to 3-2 against lefty Ian Krol and ripped a fastball into the right-field corner for a triple to expand a 3-2 lead to 6-2.
Third baseman Brock Holt singled Bradley home on an 0-2 pitch to make it 7-2.
Rookie lefty Henry Owens (1-1) earned his first major-league win with five innings of three-hit ball and came out after giving up a leadoff double to Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler in the sixth.
Right-hander Justin Masterson finished the frame but was removed after giving up a leadoff home run in the seventh to rookie first baseman Jefry Marte, whose third home run closed the Tigers' gap to 3-2.
Left-handed Robbie Ross Jr. finished the seventh, right-hander Junichi Tazawa pitched the eighth and right-hander Jean Machi closed out the Red Sox victory.
Right-hander Justin Verlander (1-5) took the loss for Detroit despite allowing just a pair of unearned runs. He struck out seven, walked three (one intentionally) and allowed four hits in six innings.
Bradley, who walked with the bases loaded in the second for the first Red Sox run, slammed a 3-2 fastball over the wall in right-center for his third home run in the seventh to give Boston a 3-1 lead.
Detroit center fielder Rajai Davis led off the third with a walk, stole second and continued to third on a wild pitch to Kinsler. Detroit was unable to get him in until designated hitter Victor Martinez lined a two-out single to center.
Verlander walked two and gave up a pair of infield singles in the second inning when the Red Sox scored two runs, aided by Kinsler's two-out error on a ground ball to short right field.
The error by Kinsler plus an infield single to short loaded the bases, and Verlander walked Bradley to force in a run. Holt then beat out an RBI infield single for a 2-0 Boston lead.
NOTES: Detroit swapped pitchers with its Triple-A Toledo team following Saturday night's game, optioning RHP Shane Greene to the Mud Hens and purchasing the contract of LHP Tom Gorzellany. ... Boston manager John Farrell said Sunday his Shore Regional high school team in Monmouth Beach, N.J., played 21 games his senior season -- and he pitched 18 of them. He was 20-6 as a junior. "Pitch counts? I stopped pitching when the game ended," he said. ... 1B Miguel Cabrera (left calf) "will run the bases Tuesday in Kansas City," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He's going to take batting practice off live pitching, too." ... Red Sox LF Hanley Ramirez (left foot) was unable to play Sunday, Farrell said. "Koji (RHP Uehara) is going to have a CAT scan on his wrist. The swelling is down again but we want to make sure. I would expect them to be ready Tuesday in Miami."