Prince Fielder, The Heavyset Triples King

Tigers Vs. Red Sox Final Score: Detroit Avoids Sweep With 7-3 Win

In danger of being swept at Fenway, the Detroit Tigers picked up the bats on Thursday night and hit their way to a 7-3 win, snapping their three-game losing streak.

With the game knotted up at 3-3, Miguel Cabrera broke the tie with an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning, scoring Quintin Berry. The Tigers added three more in the final two innings, one on a Delmon Young solo blast in the eighth and two more in the ninth from the bats of Fielder and Young.

The Tigers had 14 hits in all, 10 coming from their first five hitters. Young and Berry had three hits apiece. Cabrera and Fielder each had two.

Max Scherzer picked up his fifth win of the season by striking out six in six-plus innings. (He was relieved in the seventh after walking the lead off hitter.)

After 10 straight on the road, the Tigers head home to play three with the New York Yankees. First pitch on Friday night will be 7:05 p.m. ET.

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Alex Avila Injury Update: Tigers Catcher Showed No Symptoms Of Concussion

Tigers catcher Alex Avila had to leave Thursday night's game early after taking a foul ball to the mask, leaving Avila a little shaken up and bleeding from the bridge of his nose. For a guy who played through tendinitis in both his knees last season, it was a little concerning to see him walk off the field with trainer Kevin Rand. But the Tigers announced soon thereafter that there shouldn't be anything to worry about:

According to #Tigers, Avila was pulled for precautionary reasons. Examined by doctors, showed no symptoms of a concussion.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) June 1, 2012

No word on whether or not the cut on Avila's nose required any stitches or if Avila will be back in the lineup tomorrow.

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Alex Avila Injury: Tigers Catcher Exits Game After Taking Foul Ball Off Mask

Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila was forced to leave early from Thursday night's game against the Red Sox after a foul ball off his mask caused a laceration to the bridge of his nose.

Here's a screen cap of the blood dripping down his face as a result of the cut:

Trainer Kevin Rand came out onto the field to clean up Avila, like a boxer between rounds, but it wasn't long before Avila started walking with Rand (and Leyland) off the field to the clubby.

The Boston broadcast team speculated that Avila might need stitches. However, they also noticed and mentioned that Avila looked woozy. This is worrisome, of course, because it's possible Avila could have a concussion. Concussion injuries are taken very seriously nowadays. Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana was recently placed on the relatively new seven-day DL for concussions after a similar foul tip. Hopefully, this is just a case where Avila needs a couple stitches and he'll be back in the lineup in the next couple days.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox Score Update: After Boston Scores 2, Detroit Responds With 3 In the Third

The Tigers are hoping to steal a game in Boston on Thursday night and avoid a four-game sweep. Unfortunately, the game started much like the previous three, with the Tigers running into some bad luck and the Red Sox hitting the ball hard, but the Tigers responded in the second inning to take an early lead, 3-2.

After Delmon Young was thrown out at the plate by Ryan Sweeney to end the top of the second inning, the Red Sox carried that momentum into the bottom half and scored two runs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia led the inning off with a deep fly on a change up that Tigers starter Max Scherzer left up to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Sweeney followed Salty's bomb up with a sharp single and later scored on a two-out Scott Podsednik line-drive double over the head of center fielder Quintin Berry to make it 2-0.

The bottom of the order for the Tigers in the third led the inning off with back-to-back hits -- a single for Don Kelly and a double for Danny Worth. Quintin Berry then singled in Kelly to get the Tigers on the board before Brennan Boesch plated Worth on a sac fly to tie the game at 2-2. After Berry got to third base with two outs, Prince Fielder continued his recent tear with an RBI single to give the Tigers an early lead, 3-2.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Starting Lineups For Thursday Night

The fourth game of the four-game series between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox is all set for Thursday night at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are looking to make it a clean sweep of the Tigers. Max Scherzer takes the mound for Detroit as the Tigers look to hold the Red Sox under six runs for the first time this series.

You can check out the full lineups below.

Detroit

1. Quintin Berry - CF
2. Brennan Boesch - RF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Delmon Young - DH
6. Alex Avila - C
7. Jhonny Peralta - SS
8. Don Kelly - LF
9. Danny Worth - 2B
Starting pitcher: Max Scherzer (4-3, 5.67 ERA)

Boston

Scott Podsednik - CF
Daniel Nava - LF
Adrian Gonzalez - 1B
David Ortiz - DH
Kevin Youkilis - 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - C
Ryan Sweeney - RF
Mike Aviles - SS
Nick Punto - 2B
Starting Pitcher: Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.15)

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Detroit Tries To Avoid Sweep In Beantown

The Detroit Tigers will try to salvage a victory from what has thus far been a dreadful series against the Boston Red Sox.

The Tigers have pretty well squandered any momentum they had after last weekend's three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins. They have dropped the first three games of the four-game swing through Boston, falling 5.5 games back of AL Central-leading Chicago and 4.0 games back of Cleveland.

Max Scherzer will take one of the league's stranger stat lines to the hill Thursday. Scherzer, 4-3, has MLB's best strikeout rate at 12.0 per nine innings, but also an inflated 5.67 ERA. While rain-shortened, his last outing was representative of the season as a whole: 5.1 innings, nine strikeouts and three earned runs.

The Red Sox will start Josh Beckett, who is 4-4 with a 4.15 ERA.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 Eastern.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox Final Score: Detroit Can't Stop The Long Ball, Loses Third Straight

Three home runs by Boston Red Sox sent the Detroit Tigers to their third straight loss, 6-4, setting up the Sox for an opportunity at a four-game sweep on Thursday night.

The Tigers had an early 3-0 lead through three innings behind runs batted in by Delmon Young, Danny Worth and Prince Fielder, but the Red Sox -- David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks -- hit a pair of two-run jacks against Drew Smyly in the fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead.

The Tigers would tie the game on an RBI "double" by Miguel Cabrera in the seventh, but Boston responded in the bottom half once again and then tacked on one more on a solo home run by Kevin Youkilis in the eighth off Joaquin Benoit.

Octavio Dotel takes the loss for the run he allowed in the seventh on an Adrian Gonzalez ground-rule double. Matt Albers gets the win for the Sox and Alfredo Aceves, working his fourth straight game, picked up his 13th save of the season.

Miguel Cabrera led the Tigers with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate with three doubles.

The final game of the four-game set is Thursday night at 7:10 p.m. ET.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Starting Lineups For Wednesday Night

On Wednesday night, the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox will play the third game of a four-game set at Fenway Park. The Tigers have dropped the first two games by allowing the Red Sox to score at least six runs in both games. On Wednesday night, the Tigers will hope to curve the Bo Sox's bats when they send Drew Smyly out onto the mound.

Here is the lineup he will have to face:

Boston

1. Daniel Nava, Left Field

2. Mike Aviles, Short Stop

3. Adrian Gonzalez, Right Field

4. David Ortiz, Designated Hitter

5. Kevin Youkilis, First Base

6. Will Middlebrooks, Third Base

7. Marlon Byrd, Center Field

8. Kelly Shoppach, Catcher

9. Nick Punto, Second Base

Starting Pitcher: Jon Lester; 3-4, 4.72 ERA

Detroit

1. Quintin Berry, Center Field

2. Danny Worth, Second Base

3. Miguel Cabrera, Third Base

4. Prince Fielder, First Base

5. Delmon Young, Left Field

6. Brennan Boesch, Right Field

7. Jhonny Peralta, Short Stop

8. Alex Avila, Catcher

9. Gerald Laird, Designated Hitter

Starting Pitcher: Drew Smyly; 2-1, 3.14 ERA

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Tigers Call Up Omir Santos To Take Ryan Raburn's Roster Spot

The Detroit Tigers sent Ryan Raburn down to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, as he has struggled mightily at the plate. Jim Leyland gave him as many opportunities as possible, but ultimately decided that he should be demoted. His replacement wasn't immediately announced. On Wednesday, Brian Britten Tweeted who would be called up:

Tigers have purchased the contract of C Omir Santos from Triple A Toledo today. #tigers

— Brian Britten (@BBritten_Tigers) May 30, 2012

It's worth noting because the Tigers still have something of a hole at second base. It was already noted that they wouldn't call up a second baseman, but it's still significant. It's also worth noting due to the fact that the Tigers have a very solid catcher in Alex Avila, who is batting .239 in 40 games this year.

More than that, Gerald Laird is already on the roster as Avila's backup and is patting .316 in 16 games with only two strikeouts to his name. This could mean that the Tigers are actively looking for a second baseman, as Danny Worth and Ramon Santiago are currently splitting starts there. So the promotion of Santos could be a temporary measure so as not to waste a spot on the roster.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Detroit Trying To Avoid Losing Series

The Detroit Tigers kicked off their season with three-straight victories over the Boston Red Sox, including close 3-2, and 13-12 victories, not to mention the 10-0 beatdown in game two. Now, they're wrapping up their May trying to avoid losing a four-game set against them after dropping game one by a score of 7-4 and game two by a score of 6-3. Justin Verlander was handed the loss in the most recent outing, and falls to 5-3 on the season.

Detroit is facing a very determined Boston team, who just moved over .500 (25-24) on their sixth try this season. It's the first time they've been above .500 this year and they'd like to keep it that way. They'll be sending Jon Lester to the mound to try and maintain the standing - he's 3-4 with a 4.72 earned run average. His last game was a paltry effort in which he lasted just four innings and gave up seven runs to Tampa Bay.

The Tigers will send out Drew Smyly to the mound to counter. He's 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA, and after a strong start, has been somewhat shaky in his recent appearances. He gave up four runs, three earned, against the Minnesota Twins on May 25, but was handed a win with some solid run support.

Miguel Cabrera is struggling for Detroit, and is 1-for-9 in the series. They need him to play a bit more like David Ortiz does for Boston - he's 5-for-8 with three doubles and three RBIs in the series.

The game is set for 7:10 p.m. eastern on Wednesday.

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Ryan Raburn Demoted To Triple-A, Corresponding Move Coming Wednesday

Before Tuesday night's game, Jim Leyland said that Ryan Raburn's leash was short. This is how short Raburn's leash was:

Tigers have optioned Ryan Raburn to Toledo following tonight's game. The club will announce a corresponding roster move on Wednesday.

— Brian Britten (@BBritten_Tigers) May 30, 2012

Raburn has been a perpetual second half hitter in his career (.300/.351/.847 vs. .214/.273/.642), but Leyland was hoping to spark the magic a little bit earlier this season. Raburn rewarded Leyland's loyalty with a .146/.209/.420 hitting line in 135 plate appearances as the starting second baseman.

As to who the Tigers will call up, any guess is probably as good as mine. Leyland said that it most likely will NOT be a 2B and that Danny Worth and Ramon Santiago will split starts for the time being. That rules out Eric Patterson or Justin Henry from the Mud Hens.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox Final Score: Justin Verlander Struggles In 6-3 Loss

The Boston Red Sox touched up Justin Verlander for five earned runs on 10 hits en route to a 6-3 win against the Tigers on Tuesday night.

David Ortiz had three hits, including a solo home run in the seventh inning off Duane Below. Daniel Nava had the big hit of the game, a three-run double in the fourth inning off Verlander to break the game open, 4-0.

The Tigers had solo home runs from Jhonny Peralta and Prince Fielder, but they were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and they left a total of 10 runners on base. Fielder had the team's other RBI on a single in the seventh, scoring Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera finished 1-for-5 and left six runners on base.

Verlander's streak of consecutive starts going at least six innings was in jeopardy at one point in the game, but he ultimately made it through the sixth inning for a 53rd straight start.

The Tigers will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday in the third of four against the Red Sox. First pitch is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET again.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Tarp Coming Off, Game To Resume At 10:50 P.M.

The rain delay in Boston will be a short-lived one. After the rains came in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out and a 1-1 count to Nick Punto, the tarp is already coming off the field and the game will resume shortly, according to the Red Sox:

Looking at a 10:50pm resumption of this game, Red Sox announce. #Tigers

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) May 30, 2012

The Tigers are trailing 6-3 in what was one of the worst starts of the season for Justin Verlander, who allowed five earned runs on 10 hits in six innings.

Prince Fielder and Jhonny Peralta have homered for the Tigers, but the team is just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Brayan Villarreal was pitching for the Tigers before the delay. He has three strikeouts in an inning of work thus far.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Game Delayed Due To Rain In Eighth Inning

The Tigers-Red Sox game is currently in the middle of a rain delay in Boston. The Red Sox lead the Tigers 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning.

It was said early in the game that the rains were coming, possibly threatening Justin Verlander's consecutive starts streak of pitching at least six innings, but the weather held off until the home half of the eighth. (Verlander was able to make it through six innings, but he allowed five earned runs for the second time this season.)

Verlander exited the game trailing 5-3 and the Red Sox tacked on another run on a solo home run by David Ortiz in the bottom of the seventh off Duane Below.

There was one out and a 1-1 count to Nick Punto in the eighth before the rain became unplayable and the game was stopped, so the tarp could be pulled onto the field.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Justin Verlander's Consecutive Starts Of At Least 6 Innings In Jeopardy?

Justin Verlander has gone at least six innings in his last 52 regular season starts. That streak might be on the line in Boston on Tuesday night.

Daniel Nava opened up the game in the fourth inning by lacing a 3-2 pitch to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning to score all three base runners. The Red Sox have four earned runs in all against Verlander, the most he has allowed in a regular season start since his final start of his MVP season a year ago. In 34 starts in 2011, Verlander allowed at least four earned runs six times.

Entering the fifth inning, Verlander is at 74 pitches and the Red Sox lineup isn't one to pull any punches. Further, the rain clouds are headed for Fenway and could delay the game, which would certainly end Verlander's night.

The Tigers trail the Red Sox 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox Starting Lineups: Detroit's Quintin Berry Looks To Extend Hitting Streak

After a frustrating Memorial Day loss that saw manager Jim Leyland get banished from the dugout in the third inning, the Detroit Tigers will hope to take game two of their four-game set with Boston on Tuesday with ace Justin Verlander on the mound.

Detroit rookie Quintin Berry, who extended his hitting streak to six on Monday, will assume the leadoff spot yet again while outfielder Austin Jackson remains on the disabled list. Berry already became the first Tigers player since 1918 to open with hits in each of his first five games in the big leagues, but will have his work cut out against a hard-throwing righty in Boston's Daniel Bard.

During his legendary MVP/Cy Young campaign last year, Verlander went 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox. He also held them to just two hits over eight innings in April's season opener, and has not walked away as the losing pitcher against Boston since all the way back in his 17-loss campaign in 2008.

Here are the starting lineups for Tuesday's game two:

UPDATE: Delmon Young has been added at DH, while Don Kelly was bumped from RF.

Tigers
1. Quintin Berry - CF
2. Andy Dirks - LF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Delmon Young - DH
6. Brennan Boesch - RF
7. Alex Avila - C
8. Jhonny Peralta - SS
9. Ramon Santiago - 2B
Justin Verlander - SP

Red Sox
1. Daniel Nava - LF
2. Ryan Sweeney - RF
3. Adrian Gonzalez - 1B
4. David Ortiz - DH
5. Kevin Youkilis - 3B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia - C
7. Mike Aviles - SS
8. Scott Podsednik - CF
9. Nick Punto - 2B
Daniel Bard - SP

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Justin Verlander, Detroit Look To Even Series

Justin Verlander will start Tuesday in Game 2 of the Detroit Tigers' four-game series with the Boston Red Sox.

The Tigers lost the series-opener Monday -- in frustrating fashion -- but a team in need of a win can't do much better than Verlander. On the season Verlander is 5-2 with a 2.15 ERA, and lately he's been even better than that. He has 33 strikeouts in his last four starts, going 3-1 over that span. Heck, he was even sterling in that one loss, pitching 8.0 innings, striking out seven and giving up two runs.

The Tigers' offense, which has scored four runs in two straight games, will face Red Sox righty Daniel Bard. In his first season as a starter, Bard is 4-5 with a 4.69 ERA.

The Tigers are currently 4.0 games back of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians and 3.5 games behind the No. 2 Chicago White Sox.

First pitch is schedule for 7:10 Eastern.

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VIDEO: Bill Welke Blows Call In Tigers-Red Sox Game

With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning, it looked like Doug Fister was going to escape the inning with a strike out, leaving a runner stranded on second. However, home plate umpire Jeff Nelson appealed his call to first base umpire Bill Welke on this foul-tipped strike three that cleanly landed in Gerald Laird's glove (gif via Walkoff Woodward):

Welke said the ball hit the dirt and, thus, Mike Aviles' at bat would live on.

This will help you see that the ball never touches the dirt (it might not have even been a foul tip):

As you know, Doug Fister went on to give up three runs in the inning with two outs before finally recording the third out. Jim Leyland and third base coach Gene Lamont were ejected for arguing the call in between innings. The Tigers wound up losing by three runs.

After the game, Jim Leyland ranted that he wanted the umpires to be held accountable by the media. The umpires saw replays of their mistake and admitted they botched the call.

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VIDEO: Jim Leyland's Latest Post-Game Tirade

Jim Leyland Not Happy With Umpires, Attempts To Avoid Suspension Post-Game

Following the Detroit Tigers' frustrating 7-4 loss in the first game of a four-game set against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland had to toe a fine line in regards to his post-game comments. After being ejected in the third inning by first base umpire Bill Welke for arguing a close call, Leyland was hot under the collar but it wasn't because of the ejection.

The Tigers were originally upset with home plate umpire Jeff Nelson after he needed to appeal to Welke and Welke botched a Mike Avilles swing-and-miss in the second inning. Instead of a frame-ending strikeout, Aviles was granted another chance at the plate and proceeded to single to center, which set the tone for a three-run Boston inning that broke the game open.

Leyland was not pleased with the sequence; his comments via ABC News in Detroit:

"Well there shouldn't have been a second inning rally. There should not have been a second inning rally. There was three outs. I've been in the game a long time and when the catcher catches the ball and it's strike three you call the guy out, it's that simple isn't it?

Leyland pleaded that he was not looking to get fined or suspended and demanded the media to use their power to set the record straight so he wouldn't have to.

"Now anybody that saw that - have the nerve to write what you saw and say it - because I'm not going to sit here and rip umpires.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Boston Beats Down Detroit In Series Opener, 7-4

On Monday afternoon, the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox celebrated Memorial Day by opening a four-game set at Fenway Park. Coming into the series off a three-game sweep of their division rivals the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers hoped to continue their hot hand. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as the Red Sox handily beat the streaking club by a score of 7-4.

Boston took control of the game early by scoring five runs in the first three innings, which for all intents and purposes put the game out of reach. The Red Sox offensive output was the product of a complete team effort as six different players registered an RBI with short stop Mike Avilles finishing the game with two.

On the Detroit end of things, the club generated their four runs through the long ball. Delmon Young and Gerald Laird both hit solo shots while Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homerun in the top of the ninth.

Tigers' pitcher Doug Fister was tagged with the loss after allowing six earned runs on 11 hits in five innings pitched; he is now 0-3 on the season. Felix Doubront earned the win by allowing two earned runs on four hits in six innings pitched and is now 5-2 on the season.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Detroit's Jim Leyland, Gene Lamont Ejected In 3rd Inning

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland was given the afternoon off to celebrate Memorial Day on Monday, as the veteran manager was promptly ejected by first base umpire Tim Welke in the third inning for arguing a close call.

Leyland's ejection came while third base coach Gene Lamont was also getting booted from the game for arguing balls and strikes on a blundered strike call while the Tigers were at bat. Lamont was sent to the showers by third base umpire Tim Tschida.

The Tigers were originally upset with home plate umpire Jeff Nelson after he appealed to Bill Welke on a Mike Aviles swing-and-miss play in the second inning. Welke ruled that the ball hit the dirt after a foul-tip. Instead of a frame-ending strikeout, Aviles was granted another chance at the plate and proceeded to single to center, which coincidentally set the tone for a three-run Boston inning that broke the game open.

Detroit righty Doug Fister started the game for the Tigers, but struggled after being robbed of a clean inning by Nelson in the second. Fister went just 5.0 innings and gave up season-highs in both hits (11) and earned runs (6). His 2012 ERA climbed all the way from 1.84 to 3.15 from Monday's outing alone.

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox Starting Lineups: Andy Dirks Dropped To No. 7 For Series Opener

Looking to reach the .500 mark with a win on Memorial Day, the Detroit Tigers will kick off a four-game set at Fenway Park with the Red Sox on a balmy Monday afternoon.

The 23-24 Tigers will send No. 2 starter Doug Fister to the mound to face a Red Sox lineup boosted by the return of slugger Kevin Youkilis, who has hit the ball well since returning from a 22-game absence with lower back discomfort. Daily Detroit starters Brennan Boesch, Ramon Santiago and Alex Avila will each open the game from the bench however, as manager Jim Leyland has opted to shake up his lineup for the series opener.

Despite hitting just .151 for the season with seven RBI, Leyland has decided to put struggling utility man Ryan Raburn in the No. 2 hole in favor of the red-hot Andy Dirks, who is hitting .328. In a strange twist, Dirks will assume the No. 7 spot for Monday's game after apparently settling into a top-of-the-order role over the last month.

The Red Sox are just 10-13 at Fenway this year, but have won 11 of their last 16 games and appear to be peaking at the ideal time. With a four-game series ahead, it will be paramount for Detroit to come out ahead in game one. Here are the starting lineups for Monday's game.

Tigers
1. Quintin Berry - CF
2. Ryan Raburn - RF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Delmon Young - DH
6. Jhonny Peralta - SS
7. Andy Dirks - LF
8. Gerald Laird - C
9. Danny Worth - 2B
Doug Fister - SP

Red Sox
1. Daniel Nava - LF
2. Dustin Pedroia - 2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez - RF
4. David Ortiz - DH
5. Kevin Youkilis - 1B
6. Jarrod Saltalmacchia - C
7. Ryan Sweeney - CF
8. Will Middlebrooks - 3B
9. Mike Aviles - SS
Felix Doubront - SP

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Tigers Vs. Red Sox: Detroit Starts Fenway Series With Memorial Day Afternoon Match

The Detroit Tigers start a four game series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox on Memorial Day.