RED SOX NOTES (52-51)
THE RED SOX have won 3 straight games for the 1st time since a 5-game win streak from 6/16-21…They improve to 52-51 and are back above .500 for the 1st time since following play on 7/21 (48-47)…They are currently tied with Toronto for 4th place in the AL East, with the Blue Jays playing tonight.
• Boston evened the season series with Detroit at 4-4, with wins in 4 of their last 5 meetings overall and 8 of their last 9 contests at Fenway Park dating back to 7/31/10…Boston leads all Major League teams with a 23-11 mark (.676) against Detroit since the start of 2008.
• The Sox lead the American League with a 17-9 record (.654) against AL Central clubs this season.
• The Red Sox have allowed at least 1 run in the 1st inning of 18 of their last 22 games at Fenway Park since 6/10, including 13 of their last 15…Overall this season, the team’s 1st inning ERA is 6.90 (79 ER/103.0 IP) compared to 3.95 (361 ER/822.2 IP) in subsequent frames.
CLAY BUCHHOLZ held the Tigers to 3 runs (2 ER) over 8.0 innings, allowing just 5 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts to improve to 9-3 on the season…He did not allow an earned run after the 3rd inning, permitting just 2 runners to reach, including 1 on an error, over his last 5.0 IP.
• Buchholz is 5-1 with a 2.44 ERA (18 ER/66.1 IP) over his last 9 starts since 5/27, and the Red Sox have won 7 of his last 8 starts since 6/1…He has allowed just 4 earned runs over his last 3 starts since 7/19 for a 1.57 ERA (23.0 IP).
• He gave up his 4th career lead-off homer to Austin Jackson in the 1st inning, his 1st since 4/20/11 at OAK (Coco Crisp)…It snapped a 26.1-inning homerless stretch dating back to 6/19 (2nd inning).
DUSTIN PEDROIA hit a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 6th inning tonight, his 800th career Major League game…It was his 9th home run of the season and his 1st in Boston since 5/10/12…He has gone deep in 3 of his last 5 games and has 4 homers in 13 July games after none in his previous 40 contests.
WILL MIDDLEBROOKS knocked his 13th career home run in the 8th inning…It is the most home runs by a Red Sox in his 1st Major League campaign since 1987, when Ellis Burks (20) and Sam Horn (14) both reached the mark in their debut seasons.
• He has hit safely in his last 7 games, batting .407 (11-for-27) with 2 doubles, 2 homers and 5 RBI in that stretch, and has driven in 25 runs over his last 31 contests.
ADRIAN GONZALEZ went 2-for-4 with a run scored, his 3rd straight multi-hit game and his 17th in his last 31 contests since 6/23 (49-for-126, .389)…He has hit safely in all but 4 of his last 34 contests since 6/20 (52-for-138, .377).
CARL CRAWFORD hit his 1st triple of the season to drive in the Sox 1st run in the opening frame…It was his 113th career triple, most among active Major Leaguers.
DAISUKE MATSUZAKA began a rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket tonight…He held Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY) scoreless over a 2.1-inning start in Rochester, allowing 4 hits and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts on 47 pitches (30 strikes)…The PawSox lost 2-1.
