Leon helps Red Sox rally past Tigers, 7-5

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Sandy Leon continued his early season heroics with a tie-breaking two-run single in the eighth inning as the Red Sox -- who trailed at three different points in the game -- rallied for a 7-5 victory over the Tigers Sunday in Detroit, snapping their two-game losing streak.

Red Sox-Tigers box score

Leon -- who had won Wednesday night's game against Pittsburgh with a three-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning -- came to the plate in the eighth inning Sunday with the bases loaded and no out. The Sox had just tied the game, 4-4, on a bases-loaded walk to pinch-hitter Brock Holt, which came after a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts, a single by Chris Young and an error by left fielder Justin Upton that put runners at second and third, and an intentional walk to Mitch Moreland.

Leon smacked the first pitch he saw from Kyle Ryan into center field, scoring Betts and Young and putting the Sox in front for the first time all game, 6-4. Holt came in on a double-play grounder by Pablo Sandoval to make it 7-4.

That's where it stood when Craig Kimbrel came on to close in the bottom of the ninth. He made it interesting, walking the first two batters he faced and allowing a run-scoring single to Victor Martinez, but nailed it down by striking out Upton and Tyler Collins to end the game.

Prior to the eighth, the Sox had been fighting uphill all afternoon. Detroit had taken a quick 1-0 lead off Rick Porcello in the first on singles by Nicholas Castellanos, Miguel Cabrera and Upton. The Sox tied it in the second on a two-out RBI single by Marco Hernandez -- the only run Boston got out of a second-and-third, no-out situation -- but the Tigers went right back on top in the bottom of the second on a two-out, RBI single by Ian Kinsler.

The Red Sox tied it again in the top of the third when, with two outs, Young walked and Moreland doubled, but Detroit regained the lead in the fourth on another run-scoring single by Kinsler. Andrew Benintendi tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the seventh, and then in the bottom of the inning Castellanos, the leadoff hitter, untied it with a homer off Porcello.

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