Tigers Lose To Bosox 1-0

The Tigers had their chances.  Phil Coke pitched his best game as a Tiger starter, throwing 7 shutout innings.  The bullpen and the bats let him down 

Ryan Perry retired the first two Boston hitters in the bottom of the 8th, before Jim Leyland replaced Perry with the lefty Daniel Schlereth.  Schlereth was in there to get out the left-handed hitting Carl Crawford, who was having trouble hitting lefties this year.  Schlereth walked him, then allowed the next hitter to blast a double off the Green Monster to score Crawford for the only run of the game. 

The Tigers had a couple of scoring chances, but couldn't come up with a clutch hit.  2 hit batters and a single loaded the bases in the 7th inning, only to see Austin Jackson strike out with the bases loaded on what should have been ball four.  In the 9th inning, Victor Martinez gave us a chance to tie it with a leadoff double.  Jhonny Peralta advanced pinch-runner Andy Dirks to 3rd with 1 out with a grounder to first.  Alex Avila and Ryan Raburn both struck out to end the game with the tying run stranded on 3rd. 

The Tigers are now 22-20 and will play the Red Sox again tomorrow night in Fenway Park before moving on to Pittsburgh Friday night to start Interleague Play against the Pirates.  Justin Verlander gets the start on the mound for the Tigers in tomorrow night's contest.  7:05 first pitch.