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Tigers pound Red Sox

Apr 8, 2012 - 1:14 AM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder exemplified why they may be the most fearsome power tandem in baseball.

They smacked two home runs apiece and combined for five RBI as the Detroit Tigers shut out the Boston Red Sox, 10-0, on Saturday.

Alex Avila supplied the fifth homer with a two-run shot for the Tigers, who haven't opened 2-0 since winning their first five games in 2006.

"We really didn't do a whole lot the first game offensively in the first game against them," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "Today we did what we do pretty good, hit the ball in the gaps and we hit the ball out of the ballpark."

Doug Fister, who was acquired from Seattle at the trade deadline last season, tossed 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball before exiting with a left costochondral strain.

Duane Below (1-0) came on to replace him on the mound and gave up just one hit in 2 1/3 innings of work.

The Tigers will place Fister on the 15-day disabled list effective Sunday. The 28-year-old sinkerballer excelled with the Tigers last year, going 8-1 to close the regular season.

Josh Beckett (0-1) allowed seven runs on seven hits and one walk in 4 2/3 innings for Boston.

"You can't miss down the middle of the plate to these guys," Beckett said. "It's a good team, good lineup, you can't throw balls down the middle of the plate to most big league hitters, but especially these guys."

The Tigers struck early with two runs in the home half of the opening frame. Austin Jackson began the inning with a walk, and following Brennan Boesch's lineout, Cabrera belted a towering two-run home run to left-center field.

Detroit plated three more in the fourth. Fielder led off and sliced an opposite field solo homer to left. After Delmon Young reached base with an infield single, Alex Avila stepped up and launched an opposite field two-run shot to make it 5-0.

Cabrera and Fielder hit back-to-back solo homers in the fifth, giving Detroit a 7-0 advantage. It marked the 21st multi home run game for Cabrera and the 23rd for Fielder.

Jackson picked up an RBI groundout in the sixth. The Tigers added two more runs in the seventh after Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia committed a throwing error to first base on what could've been an inning-ending double play.

Game Notes

The Red Sox were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position...Octavio Dotel made his debut for Detroit, his 13th different team in 13 seasons, an MLB record...Beckett tied a career-high with five home runs allowed. He matched that feat in an 8-4 loss to the Yankees on Aug. 23, 2009.