• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Scherzer improves to 11-0 in Tigers' rout of BoSox

Jun 23, 2013 - 5:51 AM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Victor Martinez hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, and Max Scherzer continued his impressive start to the season after pitching seven strong innings as the Detroit Tigers humbled the Boston Red Sox, 10-3, in the third installment of a four-game set at Comerica Park.

Scherzer tied a franchise record held by George Mullin in 1909 by opening the season a perfect 11-0. He yielded two runs and struck out six, becoming the first player since Pedro Martinez (2000) as the only hurler to fan at least six batters in his first 15 starts of the season.

"Its nice to start a season 11-0, it just means we're playing great team baseball and I'm going out there and doing my job," said Scherzer.

Omar Infante hit a two-run homer and Austin Jackson had three hits and drove in a run for the Tigers, who have won two of three in the series.

David Ortiz set the record for a visiting player at Comerica Park with his 18th career homer -- a solo shot -- and Jarrod Saltalamacchia added a ninth- inning RBI single for the Red Sox.

Allen Webster (0-2), who was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket prior to the game, was tagged for five runs on eight hits and two walks over 4 1/3 frames in the setback. The Red Sox have lost three of four.

It was a high-scoring affair early with the teams combining for six runs in the first frame.

Boston jumped on the board thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino, who opened the game with back-to-back singles to put men on the corners. Ellsbury then scored the first run when Dustin Pedroia grounded into a double play. Ortiz followed with a shot to the right-field bleachers to extend the lead to 2-0.

The lead was short-lived, though, as Webster returned the favor and allowed back-to-back singles then issued a walk to Miguel Cabrera to load the bases.

Webster fanned Prince Fielder, but made another mistake by offering an 0-1 pitch over the middle of the plate for Martinez, who crushed the ball into right-center for a grand slam and 4-2 Tigers lead.

"The four runs given back in the first inning kind of set the tone for the evening," said Red Sox manager John Farrell.

Jackson's two-out RBI single in the fourth added another run and the hosts eventually forced the right-handed Webster out in the fifth before scoring two more runs off Franklin Morales.

Fielder, the first batter to face Morales, walked and Martinez brought him home with a double down the left-field line. Jhonny Peralta made it 7-2 with a run-scoring single to left, and Infante contributed his two-run blast in the seventh, also off Morales, to make it 9-2.

The Tigers extended their lead in the eighth when Jackson scored on a double- play groundout.

Game Notes

Ortiz entered the game tied with Jim Thome and Paul Konerko with 17 career homers at Comerica Park ... Detroit's Andy Dirks and Torii Hunter both finished with three hits and one run scored ... Scherzer entered the game with a career 1-3 record over six starts versus Boston while compiling the highest ERA (9.21) against any team he had faced more than once. He is the first starting hurler to begin the season 11-0 since Roger Clemens in 1997.