Detroit @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 30, 2010 ) Detroit 6, Boston 5
Jhonny Peralta sure knows how to make a first impression.
The newest member of the Detroit Tigers homered in his first at-bat and homered again later in the game to help the team end their 10-game road losing streak with a 6-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday night.
The two teams meet again Saturday in the second contest of a three-game series.
Acquired from the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, Peralta belted his eighth and ninth homers of the season and finished with three of his new team's 13 hits.
The Tigers appeared to be in complete control of the contest until things started to unravel in the ninth. Detroit's normally reliable closer, Jose Valverde walked the bases loaded with one out before David Ortiz belted a grand slam down the right field line to cut the deficit to one at 6-5.
Valverde then struck out Victor Martinez for the second out of the inning before Adrian Beltre doubled into the left-field corner.
With his pitch count soaring, Valverde walked J.D. Drew intentionally and then struck out Mike Cameron looking to end the game.
Valverde finished the evening throwing 61 pitches, only 28 of them strikes.
Jon Lester (11-6) took the loss, his third straight. Lester was far from sharp as he allowed 11 hits in six-plus innings.
Tim Wakefield allowed two runs in the eighth in his first relief appearance of the season. The runs proved as the Red Sox mounted an unlikely rally.
Both teams continue to battle through multiple injuries.
Johnny Damon was the latest Tiger sidelined as he scratched from Friday's lineup with back spasms.
Friday's starting pitcher Armando Galarraga was forced to leave the game after throwing 4 2/3 solid innings when he was hit by a line drive by Kevin Youkilis. Initial reports revealed a contusion, but Galarraga will have more tests on Saturday.
Max Scherzer (7-8) will make Saturday's start for the Tigers. Scherzer lost his last outing to the Tampa Bay Rays, but has won five of his last seven decisions and has been racking up the strikeouts along the way. He lost a 7-2 decision to the Red Sox earlier in the year, the only time he has faced them.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-3) starts for the Red Sox. He is 4-1 lifetime against the Tigers but has not faced them this year.
Boston, which has fallen 6 1/2 games behind the Rays in the wild-card picture, is still searching for relief help as the trading deadline quickly approaches. The Red Sox did not activate Mike Lowell from the disabled list and may deal him Saturday.
If Lowell is activated, Boston must make a roster move. Drew was limited to pinch-hitting duties on Friday with a sore hamstring.