Detroit, MI (Sports Network) – Brennan Boesch hit a solo homer and knocked in three runs, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-3 win over the New York Yankees to finish a four-game series.
The Tigers won the last three games of the series on the heels of a season- long seven-game losing streak. They captured the finale on Thursday despite scratching out just four hits.
Rick Porcello (2-2) earned the win after giving up two runs on eight hits in seven innings.
Yankees starter A.J. Burnett (4-2) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but was backed by shaky defense and took the loss. He gave up five runs — two earned — on three hits, a walk and two hit batters while striking out five.
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter missed the game after leaving Wednesday night’s loss with a hip injury. The news got worse for New York when Eric Chavez went down with a small fracture in the fifth metatarsal (outside bone) in his left foot.
Chavez, who was starting for Alex Rodriguez at third base, was injured while legging out an RBI triple in the fourth inning. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he didn’t know what the prognosis was.
New York lost despite out-hitting the Tigers 10-4. Rodriguez went 2-for-2 with two runs scored after replacing Chavez, while Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano and Eduardo Nunez also had two hits apiece.
“I thought we swung the bats well,” said Girardi.
But the Yankees also committed three costly errors — including two bad throws by Nunez from shortstop.
The Tigers scored three runs to take a 5-2 lead in the seventh inning. They loaded the bases with no outs after Victor Martinez singled, Magglio Ordonez walked and Burnett hit Ryan Raburn in the chest with a pitch.
Brandon Inge followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead. The other two runs scored when Nunez overthrew first base on Don Kelly’s grounder.
Burnett finished the inning, but was replaced by Boone Logan to start the eighth. Boesch knocked Logan’s fifth pitch into the first rows of seats behind right field to make it 6-2.
The Yankees got a run off Jose Valverde when Rodriguez scored on Gardner’s single.
Burnett didn’t surrender up a hit until the sixth, but he gave up a run in the first inning after hitting leadoff man Kelly with a pitch. Kelly went to third on Burnett’s bad pickoff attempt, then scored on Boesch’s sacrifice fly.
The Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the fourth, but could have gotten more.
Chavez tripled past a diving Kelly in right-center field to score Curtis Granderson, tying the game at 1-1, pulling up a little between second and third base. Rodriguez came in to pinch run and scored on Nunez’s single to give the Yankees a lead. They loaded the bases, but Nick Swisher lined out.
After scoring against Burnett in the first, the Tigers didn’t put another runner on base until the fourth, when Boesch reached on Nunez’s first error.
Swisher made a diving catch in right to get Ordonez for the first out in the fifth. Burnett pumped his fist in thanks, then retired the next two batters.
But his no-hit bid was spoiled by Ramon Santiago, who smacked Burnett’s first pitch in the sixth inning into right field for a single. Santiago eventually scored on Boesch’s single to tie the game at 2-2.
The Tigers are headed out for six games on the road against Toronto and Minnesota, including a four-game series against the Blue Jays that starts Friday…The Yankees will wrap up a seven-game road trip with three games against Texas this weekend. They won two of three against the Rangers last month…Burnett fell to 4-2 lifetime against the Tigers.