BOSTON — The reeling Boston Red Sox, returning from a historic 0-7 road trip, snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 2-1, 11-inning decision over the fading Detroit Tigers on Friday night at Fenway Park.
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts singled home the winning run as the last-place Red Sox, who have scored 21 runs in the last nine games, won for the first time since the All-Star break and opened a 10-game homestand on an up note.
Center fielder Mookie Betts opened the 11th by rallying from an 0-2 count to draw a walk off left-hander Blaine Hardy (3-2). Betts took second on a sacrifice by second baseman Brock Holt and scored on Bogaerts’ single on a close play at the plate. There was a lengthy review of the call but it stood.
The hit was the third of the night for Bogaerts, who came into the game hitting an American League-high .403 with runners in scoring position.
The loss dropped the fading Tigers to 3-5 since the break and to 47-49 on the season.
Right-hander Justin Masterson (4-2) worked out of trouble in the top of the 11th and got the win.
Tiger starter Justin Verlander and former teammate Rick Porcello both pitched strong games without a decision.
Verlander, coming off a shelling at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles and winless in his seven 2015 starts, gave up a run on seven hits in eight innings, not walking anyone. The Tigers are 0-7 in his starts.
Porcello, pitching against his former team for the first time, turned in his second strong performance in his last three outings, leaving a tie game after seven innings. He allowed five hits and fanned six while not walking anyone.
Second baseman Ian Kinsler, who singled home a run and stole a base in the third inning, tripled with two outs in the Detroit eighth, but was left on third when left fielder Yoenis Cespedes struck out. Kinsler added his third hit in the 11th and is 13-for-25 during a five-game hitting streak.
The Red Sox had the winning run on second with two outs in the ninth but first baseman Mike Napoli lined right back to the pitcher.
The Red Sox, who ended their horrible road trip in Houston on Thursday night and did not fly home until Friday morning, fell behind 1-0 in the third inning but quickly got the run back.
Shortstop Jose Iglesias, a one-time Red Sox player, led off the Detroit third with a double, took third base on a groundout and scored on a single by Kinsler. Kinsler stole second but got no farther.
In the bottom of the inning, left fielder Alejandro De Aza became the seventh straight batter retired by Verlander, but right fielder Shane Victorino and catcher Ryan Hanigan singled. After a strikeout, Verlander surrendered an RBI single to Holt, an All-Star who was coming off a 3-for-17 trip.
NOTES: Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia missed his second straight game with a hamstring problem. He was 1-for-22 since coming off the disabled list with the same injury. … Boston DH David Ortiz, 10-for-27 lifetime against Detroit starter Justin Verlander, sat out with a scheduled night off. … Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera said he is making progress on his road back from a calf injury but still hasn’t been cleared for baseball activity. Talking about the injury, Cabrera said, “When I went to second (base), it seemed like somebody shot me. I knew something was wrong.” … Struggling RHP Alfredo Simon will pitch for the Tigers against RHP Steven Wright on Saturday. … Jack Eichel, the Boston University forward taken second overall by Buffalo in the recent NHL draft, threw out a first pitch. … A pregame moment of silence was held for the five servicemen killed in Chattanooga, Tenn
White Sox 6, Indians 0
CLEVELAND — Melky Cabrera and Alexei Ramirez combined for five hits, including three doubles and two RBIs, and left-hander Jose Quintana pitched his first career complete game and first shutout as the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 6-0 Friday night at Progressive Field.
Chicago has won the first two games of the series by a combined score of 14-1.
Quintana (5-9) gave up seven hits, with eight strikeouts and no walks. In three starts vs. Cleveland this year he is 2-1 with an 0.82 ERA.
All of the White Sox’s runs were charged to right-hander Corey Kluber (5-11), who pitched seven innings, but once again got no run support.
The Indians have scored three runs or fewer in 18 of Kluber’s 21 starts. They have scored two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 losses, and they have been shut out in four of those losses.
Leading 1-0, the Sox doubled their lead in the sixth inning. Kluber retired the first two batters of the inning, but first baseman Jose Abreu belted the first pitch Kluber threw him over the left-field wall for his 15th home run.
The White Sox scored two insurance runs in the eighth inning. Center fielder Adam Eaton led off the inning with a single, and he stole second base. Third baseman Tyler Saladino’s single moved Eaton to third. Left fielder Cabrera, who hit two home runs in Chicago’s 8-1 win on Thursday, drove his second double of the game down the right-field line, driving in Eaton and Saladino and giving the White Sox a 4-0 lead.
Rays 3, Orioles 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays, held to two hits for seven innings, rallied for three runs in the eighth, with rookie shortstop Tim Beckham getting a two-out, two-run single to hand the Baltimore Orioles a 3-1 loss Friday to open a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
The Rays (49-49) got back to .500 in their first home game since the All-Star break, helped by a strong outing by starter Chris Archer, who struck out nine batters in six innings of one-run ball.
Baltimore (46-49) dropped its fourth straight, spoiling a strong start by Chris Tillman, who took a shutout into the eighth.
Rays reliever Jake McGee pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save of the season, extending personal scoreless streaks to 21 appearances and 20 1/3 innings.
Tillman held the Rays to two hits into the eighth inning, but left after walking center fielder Kevin Kiermaier to lead off the inning. Kiermaier stole second base — his 11th steal of the season — and scored the tying run with two outs on designated hitter John Jaso’s RBI single off side-arm reliever Darren O’Day.
The Rays then got a bloop single from third baseman Evan Longoria and an intentional walk to first baseman James Loney to load the bases for Beckham, who delivered a two-out, two-strike, two-run single up the middle to give the Rays a 3-1 lead.
Tillman had a second consecutive dominant outing. He gave up one hit in eight scoreless innings on Saturday in a 3-0 win against Detroit, and has allowed a total of five runs in his last five starts, though Friday marked his third no-decision in that stretch.
Beckham came into the game hitting .160 (4-for-25) this season with runners in scoring position, but came through in the eighth, stepping up after being recalled from Triple-A Durham while starter Asdrubal Cabrera is on the disabled list with a groin injury.
Tillman kept the Rays in check for the first five innings, not allowing a hit until Longoria’s double in the fourth inning. The Rays’ only other hit through five innings was Kiermaier’s bunt single in the fifth.
Archer did his best to keep the Rays in the game, striking out nine Orioles in the first five innings and only allowing a run in the fourth inning.
Third baseman Manny Machado singled and scored on right fielder Chris Davis’ RBI double for Baltimore’s only run.
The Orioles had runners at first and third with one out later in that inning, but Archer got out of the jam, fielding a ground ball by left fielder Travis Snider and turning quickly for an inning-ending double play.