Verlander, Sale duel before Castellanos lifts Tigers

DETROIT — Chris Sale pitched a little longer than Justin Verlander in a matchup of ace pitchers, and it might’ve cost the Boston Red Sox a chance to split their series with the Detroit Tigers.

Nicholas Castellanos chased Sale with a twoout, go-ahead single in the eighth inning and Ian Kinsler homered in the sixth, lifting Detroit over Boston 2-1 on Monday.

“You’ve got Sale and Verlander going at it, you assume it’s going to be a game like this,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “And they didn’t disappoint.”

Verlander gave up only an unearned run, three hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings. Justin Wilson (1-0) struck out one and walked one in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez struck out two and allowed a hit in the ninth, earning his second save in three chances to help Detroit win the four-game series.

Sale (0-1) struck out 10 and gave up two runs and five hits over 7 2/3 innings in his second start. He stayed in the game after

Tigers 2, Red Sox 1

pitching seven strong innings because manager John Farrell thought he still looked sharp.

“He was still strong and still had quality stuff,” Farrell said. “He pitched around Kinsler with the base open, which I thought he was managing the situation, and he had handled Castellanos the three previous at-bats. He hits one through the hole. He pitched a hell of a game.”

As good as Verlander was, the Tigers and their fans were thrilled with the performance of a beleaguered bullpen. Earlier in the day, Detroit sent struggling righthander Bruce Rondon to Triple-A and purchased the contract of righty Joe Jimenez.

Rondon was once viewed as the future closer for Detroit, but the Tigers swapped him out for a 21-year-old Puerto Rican who has yet to pitch in the majors.

“The bullpen is in flux right now,” Verlander said. “But I think that will get a lot better as guys settle into their roles.”