Verlander solid through six, but Tigers bullpen lets it get away
DETROIT (AP) -- Justin Verlander finally feels like the pitcher he was in 2013.
Now he needs a little more luck.
Verlander pitched six effective innings Sunday, but Detroit's bullpen faltered in a 7-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
"In probably four of my last six starts, I've pitched better than I did at any time last season," Verlander said. "Today, I just had one crazy inning, but the frustrating part was that I let my pitch count get up and didn't get deep into the game."
Verlander (1-5) allowed two unearned runs and four hits. The 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner struck out seven and walked three while throwing 113 pitches.
"I felt great out there, and I'm seeing reactions from hitters that I haven't seen in a while," he said. "But we still need to win the games."
Rookie Henry Owens (1-1) pitched five-plus innings for his first major league win. He walked four, but allowed just one run and three hits.
"It's good to get that out of the way," he said. "After two starts, I can look back and feel like I can trust my pitches in the zone instead of just tinkering around the corners. I've got a win, I can throw my shoulders back, take a deep breath and take the next step."
Verlander walked Travis Shaw with one out in the second, ending his career-best streak of three starts without a walk. Shaw was erased on a fielder's choice, but Blake Swihart reached on an error on second baseman Ian Kinsler and Josh Rutledge loaded the bases with a slow chopper over the mound.
A walk for Jackie Bradley Jr. got the Red Sox on the board, and Brock Holt drove in another run with an infield hit on a dribbler to second.
"It's hard enough to get guys out in this league, so when they keep hitting balls so badly that they get infield singles, it can get frustrating," Verlander said. "But I'm kicking myself for the walk to Bradley. I wasn't trying to hit corners there. I was going right at him, and just missed."
Detroit trailed 3-2 after seven, but the Red Sox put the game away with four runs off Ian Krol in the eighth.
David Ortiz beat the shift with a soft single to left, and Shaw followed with a base hit. After a sacrifice and a strikeout, the Tigers decided to walk the light-hitting Rutledge to face Bradley with the bases loaded -- one inning after Bradley homered against left-hander Tom Gorzelanny.
Manager Brad Ausmus said he was setting up a lefty-vs-lefty matchup. But Krol has struggled with his control against lefties this season, and he was facing Bradley, who hits lefties better than righties in his career.
"At some point, we need our bullpen to get people out," Ausmus said. "He's the No. 9 hitter, he's hitting under .200 and it was lefty vs. lefty. You have to get that out."
Bradley got behind in the count, but fought back to 3-2 and then lined a 93-mph fastball into the corner for a triple. Holt followed with an RBI single to make it 7-2.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: OF Hanley Ramirez missed his second straight game with a sore left foot. Ramirez fouled a ball off the foot on Friday and was later removed for a pinch runner. Manager John Farrell said he hopes to have Ramirez and 3B Pablo Sandoval (jammed thumb) available for Tuesday's series opener in Miami.
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera is scheduled to run the bases Tuesday as one of the final steps in his return from a calf strain that has sidelined the slugger since July 4. Although the Tigers have told Cabrera not to push his recovery and risk further injury, he is targeting the start of Detroit's next homestand on Aug. 20.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Boston is off Monday before starting a two-game series in Miami on Tuesday.
Tigers: Detroit travels to Kansas City to start a 10-day, eight-game, three-city road trip. Matt Boyd (1-2, 7.90 ERA), who beat Johnny Cueto (7-7, 2.69 ERA) and the Royals in his first Tigers start last Tuesday, faces the same combination in the series opener on Monday night.
