Cabrera homers, Tigers outlast Red Sox in slugfest 9-8

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run shot for his 20th homer of the season, and former Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a two-run single and three hits for Detroit (53-48), which won for the fourth time in six games.

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According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Red Sox are -115 money line favorites versus the Tigers, who have odds of +105 to pull off the upset.

BALTIMORE – Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez and Trevor Story had two RBIs apiece to lead the surging Rockies past the first-place Baltimore Orioles 6-3 on Tuesday night.

Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey pitched five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks with a strikeout.

Detroit and Boston combined for 22 hits on a night when both starting pitchers struggled.

Drew Pomeranz (0-1) fared better in his second start with Boston, lasting six innings while allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. “It’s something that I really appreciate, the fans, the organization, they treat me and my family first-class”. C Ryan Hanigan was still only available on an emergency basis after being scratched Tuesday with flu-like symptoms. It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox make any moves after Dave Dombrowski, the General Manager, has said he has received many different offers recently.

“I just kind of watched it in the air, it looked like it just kept getting further and further away”, Ziegler said. “For me to dig us another hole to get out of is tough”.

Cabrera hit his 21st homer off closer Brad Ziegler (0-1). The lowest era of a member of the bullpen that has played the entire season is 2.41 from Heath Hembree who is also 4-0. He struck out No. 9 hitter Tyler Collins swinging on a fastball, before allowing a single and a double to Ian Kinsler and Jose Iglesias. Ichiro Suzuki made his first start in five games and went 1 for 5, giving him 2,997 career hits.

Detroit threatened to break the game open in the top half of the third when the bases were juiced with only one out.

Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann, who has been sidelined since July 1 with a right neck strain, began a rehab assignment in Triple-A Toledo on Sunday night.

The Red Sox will send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound Wednesday afternoon to wrap up a nine-game homestand and three-game series against the Tigers.

The Tigers continued to get hits against Wright and went back up 8-5 thanks a four-run fifth inning. But the games were such that they were still within reach, contradicting John Farrell’s remarks late last week when he broadly hinted that he didn’t trust Buchholz in games that were close. The next seven to 10 days will be pivotal for him to determine his next step, Farrell said.

In the seventh, Fulmer gave up a solo homer to Bogaerts leading off and took a high-hop grounder from Jackie Bradley Jr. off the top of the right shoulder, but the 23-year-old right-hander stayed in the game.

The Red Sox got their first taste of Michael Fulmer, and they came up empty for much of the day.