BOSTON - Boston's Chris Sale outlasted Detroit's Justin Verlander to win his seventh straight decision in a matchup of big-name pitchers, and the Red Sox pulled away late to beat the Tigers 11-3 on Saturday night.
Mitch Moreland's tiebreaking, two-run double sparked a three-run seventh inning and Boston added five more in the eighth for its second straight late-inning win over the Tigers. The Red Sox have won 13 of 19.
Sale (8-2) pitched seven solid innings, giving up three runs on nine hits, striking out seven without issuing a walk.
Verlander was gone with high pitch count after five, allowing three runs and four walks with three strikeouts after leaving his previous start following two innings with a tight right groin. Detroit has lost four of five.
With runners on first and second, Moreland doubled off the Green Monster against Warwick Saupold (1-1). Josh Rutledgeadded an RBI single.
Andrew Benintendi had a two-run single in the eighth and finished with three RBIs. Moreland also had an RBI single in a two-run third.
The Tigers had tied it 2-2 in the fifth, but the Red Sox regained the lead that inning on Benintendi's sacrifice fly.
Boston Red Sox
Detroit retied it on Mikie Mahtook's RBI single an inning later.
Sale escaped a jam in the third with runners on the corners and no outs by striking out three straight, including slugger Miguel Cabrera looking with a 96-mph fastball on the inside corner.
Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. helped Sale out of trouble in the first with a diving catch of J.D. Martinez's sinking liner.