Tigers beat Red Sox 6-2 to snap 5-game skid

6/6/2014

DETROIT — Ian Kinsler and Torii Hunter hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning and Victor Martinez cleared the fences in the eighth, helping the Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2 and end a season-high five-game losing streak.

Drew Smyly (3-4) allowed two runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked only one.

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Ian Krol and Joba Chamberlain each threw an inning of scoreless relief and Joe Nathan pitched the ninth in a non-save situation with a four-run lead.

Rubby De La Rosa (1-1) gave up four runs, nine hits and two walks. He had five strikeouts over 5 2-3 innings.

Boston has lost four straight after winning seven in a row.

Detroit had lost 13 of 17 games, including the previous four, since sweeping the Red Sox on the road a few weeks ago.

Smyly snapped a skid of his own. He was 0-2 in his last two starts, giving up a total of nine runs over nine innings, and was 0-3 in his previous six outings.

Brock Holt led off the game with a single off Smyly and Xander Bogaerts followed with double that nearly cleared the left-center field wall to make it 1-0.

Detroit shortstop Andrew Romine tied the game with an RBI double in the third.

Martinez gave the Tigers a two-run lead in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly and they could have scored even more runs in the four-hit inning if Miguel Cabrera did not make a baserunning error. Cabrera was on first base with no outs when Martinez hit a drive to right-center, and he rounded second base by the time he knew center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. caught the ball, leading to an easy double play.

Kinsler and Hunter cleared the fences during a three-pitch sequence in the fifth, giving the Tigers a 4-1 lead.

The Red Sox pulled within two runs in the sixth when Dustin Pedroia reached on Romine's throwing error, advanced to third on David Ortiz's single through the right side against a shifted infield and scored on Jonny Gomes' sacrifice fly.

Martinez sent a soaring shot over the left field wall in the eighth inning off Chris Capuano and backup catcher Bryan Holaday followed with a triple, chasing the Red Sox reliever after just six pitches. Austin Jackson followed with a sacrifice fly to give Detroit a four-run cushion.

NOTES: Red Sox hitting coach Greg Colbrunn is expected to stay hospitalized in Cleveland for at least another week after he had bleeding in the area between his brain and the thin tissues covering it. Tim Hyers, Boston's minor league hitting coordinator, is filling in for Colbrunn while he's away from the team indefinitely. ... Tigers SS Eugenio Suarez was held out of the lineup to rest his sore left knee and manage Brad Ausmus said he is "hour to hour," when asked for timetable on his return. ... The Tigers will send RHP Max Scherzer (6-2) to the mound against Red Sox LHP Jon Lester (6-6) on Saturday in a nationally televised game. ... Boston RHP Clay Buchholz (left knee) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Saturday in Detroit, where Mike Napoli, who is on the DL with a sprained left finger, is expected to hit against him. ... Red Sox OF Shane Victorino (hamstring) took batting practice Friday. ... Detroit outrighted IF Danny Worth to Triple-A Toledo after he cleared waivers.