DETROIT (AP) — Justin Upton hit a pair of three-run homers and the struggling Detroit Tigers finished their homestand with a 10-5 win over the Boston Red Sox Sunday. The Tigers won for just the fourth time in 14 games, and went 2-5 on their stay at Comerica Park. Justin Verlander allowed one run on three hits in six innings.
Justin Upton broke out of a slump with a pair of three-run homers.
“This was a good day,” he said. “It’s my brother’s birthday, Mom and Dad are here and my wife and kid are here,” Upton said.
Verlander (13-7) allowed one run on three hits in six innings before being pulled with a nine-run lead. He is 6-1 in his last 10 starts.
In his last scheduled game in Detroit, David Ortiz hit a 111-mph drive down the right-field line in the first. Instead of settling for his usual single, he took second on Martinez, leading to a joking exchange between the Red Sox star and Verlander after the inning.
“We’ve had a lot of battles,” Verlander said. “That was just one of them.”
Ortiz batted for the final time in the eighth and received long standing ovations both before and after he grounded out. He tipped his cap to the crowd as he walked off.
While the Tigers presented Ortiz with a large framed photo set on Saturday, he got another gift from his friends on the team on Sunday. Before the game, he was showing off a custom-made Venezuelan guitar that was decorated with scenes from his playing career.
