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Polanco's blooper lifts Tigers over Red Sox

May 8, 2008 - 5:24 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Sometimes all it takes to win is a little luck.

Placido Polanco's broken-bat single drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 10-9 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Ivan Rodriguez drove in two runs and Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield each had three hits as the Tigers snapped a five-game slide with an 18-hit effort.

"We're a good hitting club," Polanco said. "If we go out there and focus, we can make things happen."

Detroit rallied off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon (2-1) in the ninth, when rookie Matt Joyce opened the frame with a check-swing grounder, beating Julio Lugo's throw to first. Edgar Renteria followed with another slow roller to short that Lugo failed to field cleanly, putting runners on first and second.

"I guess that was more luck than good," Joyce said. "He threw a splitter and I was caught off guard. I just went up there trying to be aggressive and it worked out."

"They got a 0-2 check-swing for a hit and an error that put us in a hole," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Rodriguez moved the runners up with a sacrifice and Curtis Granderson drove in the tying run with a fielder's choice groundout before Polanco's blooper just out of the reach of Lugo.

"Great win for us," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "Really good off one of the best closers in baseball. Tough to do. We hung in there. We had a pretty good night. We battled."

"(Papelbon) kind of dropped down a bit," Polanco said. "Just trying to put the ball in play. That's what happens. It could've been an error or something. It was a really good pitch, But sometimes it's going to go your way and sometimes it's not."

Boston has 20 errors as a team this season - 10 by Lugo.

"I was looking to get the lead runner at second," Lugo said. "I guess I was just too aggressive and bobbled it. That's it."

Polanco finished the night 5-for-6 with three RBI. The second baseman has been hot lately, raising his batting average from .174 to .270 over the last nine games - going 18-for-42 over that span.

"We're a good hitting club," Polanco said. "If we go out there and focus, we can make things happen."

The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third, getting to Boston rookie starter Clay Buchholz for four runs in the third and knocking the righthander out after just four innings.

"I made some good pitches and I made some pitches that they hit," Buchholz said. "Somedays you have good stuff, somedays you don't. It's just like that."

Detroit rookie starter Armando Galarraga fared no better, lasting just 5 1/3 frames while allowing five runs, including a pair of homers to Kevin Youkilis.

The Red Sox battled back from three deficits of at least three runs, tying the game at 8-8 on Mike Lowell's three-run homer in the seventh inning.

"We fought back, but we couldn't get them out," Francona said. "We played our game and made a great comeback, but we just couldn't finish it."

Dustin Pedroia's pinch-hit single drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth for Boston before the Tigers battled back.

Youkilis' two-homer night was his first since August 8, 2004, also at Comerica Park.