Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene each hit a two-run homer, and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Sunday.
The Tigers (70-68) won their second series against Boston in the last 13 tries and claimed the season series for the first time since 2017. They are now just a half-game behind the Red Sox (70-67) for fourth place in the AL wild-card race.
Brant Hurter (3-1) pitched five innings, giving up just one run to get the win. He came in with two runners on base and one out in the second inning and managed to get Wilyer Abreu to hit into a double play.
Hurter said, “I’ve been playing baseball for 20 years, and I’ve never gotten a first-pitch double play before. That was cool.”
Due to trades and injuries, the Tigers had only two healthy starting pitchers for most of August. Hurter, who made his major league debut on August 4, has a 3.25 ERA in six games, including one start.
He added, “I’m a rookie, so I’m going to embrace any role they offer me.” Jason Foley, the fourth Tigers pitcher, earned his 20th save with a perfect ninth inning.
Red Sox opener Cooper Criswell pitched four perfect innings and struck out five. However, Rich Hill (0-1) and Zack Kelly struggled.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, “The plan was for Coop to give us as many outs as he could and then take advantage of the matchups. It just didn’t work.”
Jarren Duran’s two-out RBI single gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, but Hill issued a leadoff walk to Kerry Carpenter in the bottom half. Jace Jung struck out before Torkelson hit a drive to left field for his eighth home run.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “They’ve done that with Criswell where he has pitched a couple innings and where he’s gone five or six. We just had to react and take advantage of our opportunities.”
