The Detroit Tigers opened up Sunday's game with the Boston Red Sox right where they left off on Saturday with yet another offensive flurry in the first inning. Unfortunately, starting pitcher Max Scherzer couldn't find the strike zone to save his life, and immediately squandered the Tigers' early 4-0 lead over the next two innings.
Scherzer gave up eight hits and seven runs while throwing 80 pitches over just 2.2 innings, and left the game with Boston ahead 7-5 on the scoreboard. Scherzer's ERA on the season now sits at an inordinately-high 23.63.
In another sign that it clearly wasn't his afternoon, Scherzer was called for a balk in the third inning by the home plate umpire with two outs to give Boston a free 6-5 advantage. Despite being a very vague motion on the mound that potentially would not have prompted the same call in similar situations, Scherzer's ill-timed balk proved to be the final dagger for his day.
The Red Sox and Tigers are both clearly locked in at the plate, and look poised to continue this offensive surge. Stay with SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream for continuous updates throughout the game.
For more on the Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. For more MLB coverage, head to Baseball Nation.