BOSTON (AP) — Jack Flaherty allowed one hit over 6 2/3 innings, Akil Baddoo, Riley Greene and Gio Urshela hit home runs and the Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 5-0 on Thursday night.
Flaherty (2-4) carried a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings. His bid was snapped when Boston outfielder Rob Refsnyder singled into left field on a 3-2 pitch. The only other Red Sox player to reach against Flaherty came in the fifth when Rafael Devers opened the inning with a walk.
“I always know. For me, no nerves ever get involved. At that point, it’s about going deep and executing one pitch at a time,” Flaherty said.
Flaherty struck out nine and threw 66 of his 104 pitches for strikes. He was still featuring a mid 90s fastball before getting taken out with Detroit up 2-0.
“He had relatively smooth innings, no pressure whatsoever,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “I wanted to tell (Flaherty) that he did a hell of a job and did all he needed to do. He wanted to stay in the game but went to the dugout and cheered on (reliever Alex Faedo).”
Boston finished with two hits and four runners. The Red Sox were held hitless through six innings as recently as last Saturday against Milwaukee.
“We chased in some counts, but (Flaherty) is a different pitcher. They’ve made some adjustments with him and he’s getting more swings and misses,” Boston manager Alex Cora said.
After walking the leadoff batter, Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (2-4) tied Roger Clemens for the Red Sox record with eight consecutive strikeouts. His bid for nine straight punchouts was snapped on a groundball to second base to lead off the fourth inning.
Baddoo, recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, produced the game’s first run with one swing. With one down in the fifth, the Detroit outfielder sent the ball into the first row of Green Monster seats.
Detroit made it 2-0 in the sixth when No. 9 hitter Carson Kelly tripled into the right-field corner and scored on Mark Canha’s single. Pivetta exited after allowing two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.
“Liked the way I started, didn’t like the way I finished,” Pivetta said.
The Tigers broke the game open with three runs in the eighth including Greene’s two-run homer and Urshela’s homer.
“He was incredible and the numbers show that," Greene said about playing behind Flaherty. “I got to be in center field for it and seeing where he was pitching guys. Watching him execute all those pitches was pretty fun to watch.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: RHP Shelby Miller (ulnar nerve irritation) will make his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Toledo on Friday. He appeared in 15 games for Detroit before undergoing a procedure to remove scar tissue a few weeks ago. “We need him to be good when he gets back, not just healthy,” manager A.J. Hinch said.
Red Sox: RHP Garrett Whitlock underwent an internal brace procedure on his damaged UCL on Thursday. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and had his latest procedure on his arm performed by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas. … OF Masataka Yoshida (left thumb strain) is taking swings off the tee. Yoshida has been on the IL since May 1 (retroactive to April 29). … 1B Triston Casas (rib strain) hopes to be cleared by doctors to swing a bat soon. He continues to take groundballs. Casas hasn’t appeared in a major league game since April 20.
UP NEXT
Detroit RHP Kenta Maeda (2-1, 5.80) faces Boston RHP Tanner Houck (4-5, 1.90) on Friday night.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
