Red Sox make it three in a row, 7-3

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BOSTON -- Modest achievement though it may be, the Red Sox won their third straight Monday night, something they hadn't done in more than a month, dating to a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins June 11-13.

Clay Buchholz survived a rocky first and third innings, and then allowed just one more run over the final six inningswhile Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs in a 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park.

Buchholz was tagged for a leadoff homer by Austin Jackson and weathered a stretch that saw four of five batters reach in the third. But after walking Prince Fielder with one out in the third, Buchholz (9-3) retired the next 12 in a row before allowing a run in the seventh.

It was Buchholz's first win in his last four outings.

Down 1-0 out of the chute, the Sox used a run-scoring triple from Carl Crawford and an RBI groundout from Pedroia in the first.

Pedroia added a two-run homer in the sixth, his third homer in the last five games and fourth this month. A run-scoring single Jacoby Ellsbury in the seventh and a two-run homer from Will Middlebrooks in the eighth to give the Sox some additional breathing room.

STAR OF THE GAME: Clay Buchholz
The night didn't begin well for Buchholz, who gave up a homer to Austin Jackson with his second pitch of the game. But for the next seven innings, Buchholz allowed just two more runs -- only one of them earned -- and picked up his first win since June 19

HONORABLE MENTION: Dustin Pedroia
At the two-thirds mark of the season, the second baseman is getting it together at the plate. He had a three-RBI night with a first-inning groundout and a two-run homer in the sixth, his third homer in the last five games. He also has six RBI in his last seven games.

GOAT OF THE GAME: Max Scherzer
Among the league leaders in strikeouts, Scherzer fanned nine Red Sox hitters, but also gave up five runs on seven hits and lasted just 6 13 innings, forcing Jim Leyland to get into his bullpen earlier that he would have liked.

TURNING POINT: In the third inning, with a run already in off Buchholz, the Tigers had the bases loaded and Delmon Young at the plate. But Buchholz got him to hit into an inning-ending double play and the Tigers had just two baserunners against Buchholz after that.

BY THE NUMBERS: The win was the third in a row for the Red Sox, representing their longest winning streak in more than a month, dating back to a three-game sweep of Miami June 11-13.

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