Boston, MA (Sports Network) - David Ortiz provided some late-game dramatics yet again, belting a game-winning three-run double in the ninth inning to lift the Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Ryan Perry, who came into the game for the Tigers in the seventh, began the ninth by allowing a leadoff single to Darnell McDonald and was lifted in favor of Phil Coke (6-2).
Coke was able to induce a fly out from Marco Scutaro, but Jed Lowrie followed with a pinch-hit double to send McDonald to third. After intentionally walking Kevin Youkilis to load the bases, Ortiz blasted a double to deep center to plate all three runners and win the game.
Ortiz's hit comes one game after his ninth-inning grand slam nearly gave Boston another comeback win, falling just one run short in Friday's 6-5 defeat in the series opener. The rally made a winner of Hideki Okajima (4-3), who threw one scoreless frame.
Ryan Kalish, making his major league debut, added two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Red Sox, who have won six of nine but finished July at a mediocre 12-13. McDonald finished 2-for-4 with an RBI in the win.
"I just never felt this much energy in a stadium," Kalish said. "This is Fenway Park, this has been around forever. A three-run walkoff double is something that -- you watch on TV with all those guys freaking out, and I was one of those guys freaking out today. It was a lot of fun."
Miguel Cabrera clubbed his 26th home run of the season for the Tigers, who have lost five of six. Max Scherzer was denied the win despite allowing just one run on nine hits and a walk while fanning three in 6 1/3 frames.
"It was a very good ball game. Scherzer pitched extremely well, really very, very well," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "We were a little hamstrung today. Last night's bullpen situation really took a toll on today's game."
It didn't take long for the Tigers to put a couple runs on the board.
Will Rhymes worked a one-out walk, and, after Brennan Boesch fouled out, Cabrera crushed a 1-0 pitch down the middle well over the Green Monster for a two-run Detroit advantage.
The visitors added to their lead in the second, as Jeff Frazier singled with one away, moved to second on a Gerald Laird's infield single and scored on Ramon Santiago's base hit to center.
Santiago's RBI double in the fourth made it 4-0, and Scherzer made it stand up with a gem of an outing.
Scherzer was also the beneficiary of three double plays before the Red Sox got to him in the seventh. Adrian Beltre reached on an infield single and moved to third when Bill Hall singled and got thrown out at second trying to stretch the play. Brad Thomas was brought in from the bullpen and yielded an RBI single to Kalish before McDonald's RBI double off Perry brought Boston to within 4-2.
Perry, though, limited the damage in the inning and pitched around a leadoff single in the eighth to maintain Detroit's two-run advantage.
A roster spot was made available for Kalish when Jeremy Hermida was designated for assignment...The Tigers still lead the season series, 3-2...Cabrera, with a 2-for-3 effort, raised his batting average to .351 (second in the AL) and increased his MLB-leading RBI total to 91. His 26 homers are second in the league, five behind Toronto's Jose Bautista.