Friday night in Detroit, the Red Sox pounded the Tigers (BOS 10, DET 2) and moved into a tie with the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Toronto lost a heartbreaking game to the Indians in Cleveland. “We kind of wanted to match his intensity”.
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This was a team that had been scoring just 3.5 runs per game over its first 10 games in August. He has a 3.56 ERA in his last five starts, which includes a five-run outing against the Los Angeles Angels to close out July (those two starts were sandwiched around a quality start against the Tigers, naturally).
Drew Pomeranz has settled in nicely since his shaky debut with the Red Sox back on July 20.
But the offense is now as potent as it has been since a record-setting homestand in May.
Bradley gave Boston a four-run lead with the second two-run homer of the first inning, but Martinez pulled the Tigers within 4-2 with his two-run shot in the second.
“I’m sure there was added adrenalin”, Farrell said. But they show up in the standings all the same.
Rookie right-hander Michael Fulmer allowed a career-high six earned runs against the Red Sox.
Daniel Norris tries to get the Tigers back into the win column on Saturday.
With a man on first, Fulmer pitched Ortiz carefully until he challenged the 40-year-old with a 95-mph heater up and in. Ortiz demolished a 95 miles per hour fastball, depositing a souvenir of his 2016 retirement tour into the stands in right field. Victor Martinez reached on a throwing error by Pedroia leading off and Martinez hit an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right center. He surrendered first-inning two-run homers to David Ortiz and Jackie Bradley Jr.
Boston Red Sox’s Sandy Leon scores from second base on a single by Dustin Pedoria during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, Aug. 19, 2016, in Detroit. He has 21 dingers on the year.
“It’s a good-hitting ball club”, Fulmer said.
J.D. Martinez hit his 17th home run of the season to cut the Red Sox lead in half 4-2 in the second.
Brad Ziegler walked Andrew Romine with the bases loaded to cap a three-run eighth inning for Detroit, and the Tigers held on for a 4-3 win Thursday, snapping Boston’s six-game winning streak.
“I haven’t been told anything yet”, Fulmer said. Norris has allowed 13 hits and six walks in that time, and all that traffic on the basepaths is eventually going to come back to bite him. “He had a little bit more power tonight than recent starts, and he was able to use that effectively”.
It is also fair to say that Porcello could look to make a statement tonight against his former team, but I say he just takes it as the next game in the schedule.
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Porcello (16-3, 3.30 ERA) is having one of the better seasons of any pitcher in baseball and is 9-1 with a 2.75 ERA over his last 11 starts.
