Sometimes, even the best-laid plans get washed away—and for the Detroit Tigers, Monday night’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox was a perfect storm of bad breaks and missed opportunities. Without their ace, Tarik Skubal, the Tigers leaned on a bullpen day, but a disastrous seventh inning and a rain-delayed rally weren’t enough to avoid a 5-4 loss at Comerica Park.
The trouble started before the first pitch. Skubal, who was scratched from his scheduled start, was placed on the injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow, requiring surgery. There’s no timetable for his return, leaving a gaping hole in the Tigers’ rotation. It was a tough blow for a team that’s been fighting to stay above .500.
With Skubal out, the Tigers turned to their bullpen, but it crumbled in the seventh inning. Right-hander Ricky Vanasco and left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus combined to allow all five Red Sox runs, starting with a leadoff walk from Vanasco. A misplay by right fielder Wenceel Pérez only added to the chaos, and by the time the inning ended, Boston had seized control. The Tigers showed some fight after a 28-minute rain delay in the eighth, scratching across two runs, but the comeback fell just short.
For much of the night, the Tigers’ offense was silenced by Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle. He held Detroit to just one hit over the first seven innings, allowing two unearned runs on one hit and one walk while striking out eight on 83 pitches. If not for the rain, Tolle might have kept dealing into the eighth—or even the ninth. The Tigers finally broke up his perfect game in the fifth when Riley Greene ripped a down-and-in sinker for a leadoff double into the right-field corner, only for the next three batters to strand him in scoring position.
Detroit’s two runs in the sixth inning came more from Boston’s mistakes than their own hitting. A Colt Keith hit-by-pitch and a Jahmai Jones walk put two runners on with one out, and a throwing error by catcher Carlos Narváez on a pickoff attempt moved both into scoring position. Matt Vierling then hit a broken-bat grounder to third, but third baseman Andruw Monasterio’s off-balance throw home sailed wide, allowing both runs to score. It was a gritty inning, but not enough to overcome the earlier damage.
The Tigers (18-18) will look to bounce back Tuesday (6:40 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) with left-hander Framber Valdez (3.35 ERA) on the mound against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello. For a team that’s shown flashes of promise, consistency remains the key—and that starts with getting back on track without their star pitcher.