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Tigers-Red Sox Preview

Aug 1, 2010 - 1:46 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Detroit (52-50) at Boston (58-45), 1:35 p.m. EDT

The Boston Red Sox may not have landed a key contributor at the trade deadline, but a couple of veterans are already making key contributions.

Slugger David Ortiz and starting pitcher Clay Buchholz will try to help the Red Sox to a fifth win in six games when they conclude a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

Ortiz is batting .308 with four homers and 12 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak. The designated hitter came up big Saturday, connecting for a three-run double in the bottom of the ninth to beat Detroit (52-51) 5-4. The previous night, he hit a grand slam in the ninth but the Red Sox came up short and lost 6-5.

"It felt good, man," Ortiz said Saturday. "It was a game that we weren't able to score some runs in the few opportunities that we had. To come back and win it felt great.

"I won. That's it. Game over."

Buchholz (11-5, 2.71 ERA) appears to have shaken off the effects of a strained hamstring, which landed him on the disabled list for most of July.

The right-hander was impressive Monday, allowing one run with seven strikeouts in seven innings of a 6-3 win at Los Angeles. That was a vast improvement over his first game back from the injury five days prior, when he yielded five runs and two homers in four innings of a 6-4 defeat at Oakland.

He'll take the mound at Fenway for the first time since June 20. He's compiled a 1.65 ERA while winning his last four home starts.

A healthy Buchholz and continued production from Ortiz may aid the prospects of the Red Sox (59-45), who failed to bolster their struggling bullpen before Saturday's non-waiver trade deadline.

Boston relievers have a 4.39 ERA and have served up a league-high 43 homers.

The Red Sox did make one minor move Saturday, acquiring catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Texas for two minor leaguers, a player to be named and cash.

"It is an empty feeling to come away empty-handed," general manager Theo Epstein said. "But before we did something that we would regret for a long time, we felt this was the best course to ultimately help out the 2010 club."

Losers in 14 of their last 18 and fading fast in the AL Central, the Tigers opted not to make a move Saturday.

"I thought that we had the chance to do something that was probably surprising and big," general manager Dave Dombrowski told the team's official website, "but it didn't happen."

Justin Verlander (12-6, 3.74) takes the mound in an attempt to rebound from his second loss in 10 starts. The right-hander was the hard-luck loser despite throwing a five-hitter in Tuesday's 3-2 defeat at Tampa Bay.

Verlander had been 4-0 with a 3.24 ERA in his previous five outings.

A start at Fenway Park could help him begin another winning streak. He's won his last two starts there, including a gem during a 2-0 win Aug. 13, collecting eight strikeouts in eight innings to outpitch Buchholz.

Buchholz overcame five walks in 6 1-3 innings to beat the Tigers in Detroit on May 14, limiting them to one run en route to Boston's 7-2 victory.

Ortiz is 3 for 10 with a homer off Verlander.