Red Sox Defeat Tigers 5-4 in Series Opener After Skubal Placed on Injured List

Payton Tolle pitched seven innings for the Red Sox, allowing two unearned runs on one hit, striking out eight batters, and issuing one walk. The Red Sox trailed 2-0 until the seventh inning, when they scored five runs, including a three-run home run by Jarren Duran.

The Tigers had planned to start Tarik Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, but placed him on the injured list after doctors identified loose bodies in his elbow that require surgery. Skubal had previously faced the Red Sox on April 18, allowing one run over six innings with 10 strikeouts.

Instead, the Tigers used Tyler Horton as an opener, followed by Ty Madden, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo. The pair combined for six shutout innings before the Red Sox broke through.

The game was delayed for 28 minutes by rain one pitch into the top of the eighth inning. Garrett Whitlock allowed a two-run double by Dillon Dingler in the eighth before Aroldis Chapman secured the save in the ninth. Chapman has converted all seven of his save opportunities this season, allowing one earned run over 11 2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts.

This victory was the first time this season the Red Sox rallied from a two-run deficit to win, having gone 0-18 in such situations previously. Left fielder Roman Anthony exited the game in the second inning due to right wrist discomfort after checking his swing in the first inning.

He was attended to by head athletic trainer Brandon Henry and replaced by Masataka Yoshida. 675 OPS this season, with one home run and five RBI.

Tolle was perfect until Riley Greene doubled in the fifth inning, but Tolle stranded him with two strikeouts and a groundout. In the sixth, throwing errors by Carlos Narváez and third baseman Andruw Monasterio led to two unearned runs for the Tigers without a hit.

The Red Sox stranded seven runners over the first six innings, extending their scoreless streak to 11 innings. The seventh-inning rally began with a walk to Narváez and a single by Monasterio off reliever Ricky Vanasco. Duran then hit a home run to left field, his fourth of the season and third in the last four games.

Yoshida doubled, followed by two-out singles from Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Marcelo Mayer off Enmanuel De Jesus, adding two more runs. This five-run inning was the largest for the Red Sox since scoring 10 in the ninth on April 25 in Baltimore, after which Alex Cora and six coaches were fired hours later.