BOSTON (AP) -Curtis Granderson tripled off Josh Beckett on the first pitch of the game, and the Detroit Tigers went on to stop their season-worst losing streak at five, beating the Boston Red Sox 7-4 Monday night.
After getting swept at Chicago over the weekend, the Tigers played like the team with the best record in the major leagues. Detroit began the day with a 5 1/2-game lead over Chicago in the AL Central.
Boston, which had won three straight, fell two games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.
Granderson's hit keyed a three-run first inning against Beckett (13-7). That was plenty for Nate Robertson, who entered the game with the third-lowest support in the AL, with 3.66 runs per game.
He had that and more by the third inning, when Carlos Guillen hit a two-run double to make it 5-0. Robertson (11-8) allowed three runs on five hits over six innings.
Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 35 tries. He threw seven pitches, all for strikes.
Beckett gave up five runs on six hits and four walks, striking out six in six innings to remain winless in his last four starts.
The good news: Beckett, who has allowed a major league-leading 31 homers, did not give one up for the second consecutive start. It's the first time he's gone two starts in a row without allowing a homer since his first three outings of the season.
But Granderson's triple to the right-field corner was almost as bad. Craig Monroe walked and then Dmitri Young singled in one run before Monroe scored from third on a wild pitch. Young made it 3-0 on Guillen's RBI groundout.
The Tigers scored two more in the third when Monroe walked, Young singled and they both scored on Sean Casey's double off the Green Monster.
Boston made it close with a run in the fifth on Javy Lopez's double and two in the sixth when Kevin Youkilis homered after Manny Ramirez walked. But the Tigers took a 7-3 lead in the eighth on Vance Wilson's two-run single.
The Red Sox had a chance in the eighth when Mark Loretta and Ramirez singled. But Ramirez was thrown out at the plate on Mike Lowell's single and Joel Zumaya struck out Wily Mo Pena on what the scoreboard said was a 102-mph fastball to end the inning.
Notes: Tigers C Ivan Rodriguez, who was ejected after being called out on strikes on Sunday, got the day off. ... Robertson made the 100th start of his career - just the 16th lefty in Tigers history to reach the milestone. ... Boston RHP Keith Foulke had an MRI exam to make sure there was nothing major causing stiffness in his back. There was no immediate timetable for his return. ... Red Sox Class A prospects Jeffrey Farrell (5 IP) and Yulkin German (4 IP) combined on a no-hitter for Lowell at Hudson Valley on Sunday. It's the team's first no-hitter. ... The Red Sox surpassed 2 million in attendance in their 56th home game, the earliest they've ever reached the milestone.
