FINAL: Tigers 4, Red Sox 1 - Boston Loses Two Out of Three After Criswell Questionably Exits After Four Perfect Innings

The Red Sox fell to the Detroit Tigers 4-1 Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park. With this loss, Boston drops two of three games as the Red Sox continue to fight for the final Wild Card spot in the American League.Today's big story was Alex Cora deciding to take Cooper Criswell out after only four innings where he went four perfect innings with five strikeouts. 

The only explanation would be that this was a pre-calculated analytics move that ultimately failed. It is worth pointing out that Boston outhit Detroit six to three but left six runners on base. You can not expect to win when you only score one run and continue to leave runners on base time and time again. 

"It was the way we drew it up...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't," Cora said after the game. 

It was not until the fifth inning when Jarren Duran got the Red Sox on the board first with an RBI single that scored Romy Gonzalez to make it 1-0.

 Spencer Torkelson gave the Tigers the lead with a two-run homer in the fifth inning to make it 2-1 Detroit.

 Riley Greene padded the Detroit lead with a two-run bomb of his own that made it 4-1 Tigers. 

The Red Sox are now 3-7 in their last 10 games and will be back in action tomorrow night when they begin a three-game series with the Mets at Citi Field when Brayan Bello takes the hill at 7:10 p.m. 

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WHO: Red Sox (70-66) at Detroit Tigers (69-68)
WHEN: 1:40 p.m.
WHERE: Comerica Park, Detroit. 
SERIES TO DATE: 3-3 (2-2/1-1)
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Cooper Criswell (5-4, 4.34 ERA) vs. RHP Beau Brieske (2-3, 4.44 ERA)
TV/RADIO: NESN, MLB Network, WEEI-FM 93.7
LIVE BOX
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Duran CF
Yoshida DH
Refsnyder LF
Devers 3B
Casas 1B
Wong C
Abreu RF
Gonzalez 2B
Sogard SS

SP Cooper Criswell

TIGERS
Meadows CF
Greene DH
Vierling LF
Carpenter LF
Jung 3B
Torkelson 1B
McKinstry 2B
Sweeney SS
Dingler C

SP Beau Brieske

WHAT'S UP

The Red Sox are 1-1 so far on a 6-game road trip to DET (3 games) and NYM (3 games).

The Sox have won 3 of their last 5 games...They're 7-8 in their last 15 and 14-16 in their last 30.

 The Red Sox have lost 5 of their last 6 Sunday games since the All-Star break, but are still an MLB-best 16-6 (.727) on the day, outscoring opponents 120-85.

Rafael Devers returns to the lineup and will be a thrid base for the forst time since the doubleheader last. Monday versus Toronto due to a sore shoulder. 

 Jarren Duran ranks 2nd in MLB in bWAR (8.8), trailing only Aaron Judge (9.8).

 Only 8 players in Red Sox history have finished a season with 8.5+ bWAR (18 occurrences): Ted Williams (6x), Tris Speaker (3x), Carl Yastrzemski (3x), Mookie Betts (2x), Wade Boggs, Fred Lynn, Rico Petrocelli, and Babe Ruth.

Jarren Duran ranks 4th in MLB with 78 XBH, trailing only Bobby Witt Jr. (79), Shohei Ohtani (80), and Aaron Judge (83).

 His 78 XBH through 135 team games tied Ted Williams (1939) for 4th most-in Red Sox history, trailing only Jimmie Foxx (84 in 1938), Rafael Devers (80 in 2019), and David Ortiz (79 in 2004).

With 26 team games remaining, Duran is 14 XBH shy of the Red Sox' all-time record (92 by Jimmie Foxx in 1938).                                      

The Red Sox are 27-17 (.614) in their last 44 road games since 5/19, MLB's best road record in that span. BOS is 9-6 in its last 15 road games.The Sox will play on the road in 16 of their 25 gamesfrom 8/30-9/25, before finishing the season with a 3-game series at Fenway Park vs. TB.

The Red Sox are 13-4 in their last 17 games against the Tigers, beginning 4/12/22.

Boston has recalled RHP Chase Shugart and Infielder/Outfielder Emmanuel Valdez from Triple-A Worcester.