One run was all the Boston Red Sox needed to pick up where they left off at the All-Star break.
David Price turned in a quality start, giving up four hits while striking out five in Boston’s slim 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night at Comerica Park. The southpaw didn’t get a lot of run support, but it wasn’t needed as Price baffled Detroit for the majority of the night.
Boston compiled six hits on the night, but it was Steve Pearce’s RBI double in the first inning that proved to be the difference-maker in the victory.
With the win, the Red Sox improve to 69-30, while the Tigers slip to 41-58.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Close.
Too close for comfort, really. After Boston scored its lone run in the first, Detroit had two big opportunities to either tie or break the game open, but the Sox were able to hold to grab the win.
ON THE BUMP
— Price was cruising through the first three innings, retiring the first nine batters he faced. The lefty found himself in quite the jam in the fourth, though, when the Tigers loaded the bases on three consecutive singles with nobody out. But a lineout, strikeout and fly out got the southpaw out of the inning … at the cost of Brock Holt, however.
After John Hicks lined out to Andrew Benintendi, the left fielder fired a wild throw that sailed past home plate. Price backed up the play and ran toward second to try and get Jeimer Candelario in a rundown, but Price tossed a low throw to Holt and Candelario’s accidentally spiked Holt’s knee on the slide, causing him to leave the game.
The southpaw would get out of the fifth after putting a runner in scoring position before pitching a 1-2-3 sixth. Price’s night would conclude with one out in the seventh after hitting Leonys Martin.
— Heath Hembree relieved Price and got two big strikeouts to end the seventh.
— Matt Barnes pitched the eighth, but it certainly wasn’t easy for the righty.
A wild pitch on strike three to Niko Goodrum allowed him to reach base to open the frame. Barnes bounced back by striking out Candelario, but the strike-three curveball bounced in front of the plate and got away from cather Sandy Leon, allowing Goodrum to rumble all the way to third base. Goodrum would try to score on Nicholas Castellanos’ fielder’s choice, but he was thrown out at home after getting caught in a brief rundown. Castellanos took second on the play.
Barnes would walk Hicks to put two on with two outs, but the righty escaped the inning courtesy of a James McCann swinging strikeout.
— Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth, en route to his 31st save of the season.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Boston struck first after Benintendi singled and J.D. Martinez walked, paving the way for Pearce to double in a run to give the Sox a 1-0 lead in the first.
— The Red Sox threatened to do damage in the sixth when they loaded the bases, but Eduardo Nunez flew out to left to end the threat.
— Benintendi and Pearce led the way for Boston with two hits, while Xander Bogaerts and Tzu-Wei Lin each had one hit apiece.
— All other Red Sox batters went hitless on the night.
TWEET OF THE GAME
What can’t Martinez do?
UP NEXT
The two sides will play the middle game of their three-game set Saturday night. Brian Johnson will take the mound for Boston and be opposed by Mike Fiers. First pitch from Comerica Park is set for 6:10 p.m. ET.
