Red Sox Wrap: Boston’s Stagnant Offense Outweighs Strong Pitching

The Boston Red Sox dropped the opening game of the three-game series against the host Detroit Tigers, a 3-1 final at Comerica Park on Monday.

Boston fell to 1-3 on the young season while Detroit improved to 2-2.

You can view the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Michael Wacha performed well in his Red Sox debut, giving confidence that the back end of the rotation might exceed expectations. In 4 1/3 innings, Wacha allowed two hits, one earned run, walked three batters and struck out four.

Unfortunately, the biggest takeaway was the Red Sox inability to get anything going against Tigers starting pitcher Matt Manning and the lowly Detroit pitching staff. The Red Sox could only muster four hits in the game, as Boston continues to struggle with the bats.

The Red Sox offense will need to pick it up if they want to avoid losing their second straight series in the early going.

STARS OF THE GAME
— J.D. Martinez broke up Manning’s perfect game to open the fifth inning, his first home run of the season. Martinez’s solo shot also tied the game at one.

— Manning threw six innings, allowing just one hit. The only damage allowed happened to be Martinez’s home run, but the performance was superb overall.

— Tigers slugger Javier Báez hit a 396-foot bomb in the eighth inning off of Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier to give Detroit the late 3-1 lead.

WAGER WATCH
The Red Sox-Tigers over/under was set at 9 1/2 runs on DraftKings Sportsbook, a number that looks silly in hindsight. At +110 odds, a $100 bet would pay out $210.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will play the second game of the series against the Tigers in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage, and you can watch it all on NESN.