Tigers top Red Sox after wild 8th inning

DETROIT >> After seven runs, five walks, two lead changes and a parade of futile pitching changes, the eighth inning finally ended at Comerica Park.

What the Detroit bullpen squandered, the Boston relievers had given right back.

JaCoby Jones drew a basesloaded walk in the bottom of the eighth, and the Tigers outlasted the flu-bitten Red Sox 6-5 on Friday to win their ninth straight home opener. Detroit allowed five runs in the top of the eighth, blowing a 4-0 lead in the process, but the Tigers scored twice in their half to take back the lead.

“Up and down the lineup, you had guys that were having good at-bats and passing the baton to the next guy,” Detroit catcher James McCann said. “That just builds chemistry, builds camaraderie among ourselves as a team.”

Red Sox stars Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts were ill and out of the lineup. Boston also was without shortstop Xander Bogaerts and reliever Matt Barnes, who are on the bereavement list.

Whoever won this game was going to do so in spite of its bullpen. The Tigers wasted their lead when Pablo Sandoval put the Red Sox ahead with a three-run homer off Francisco Rodriguez. Sandoval, who played in just three games last year before having shoulder surgery, hit a drive to left-center field on an 0-2 pitch for his first home run since Aug. 15, 2015. The lead didn’t last. After Nicholas Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera struck out to start the Detroit eighth, Heath Hembree (0-1) walked two batters, and pinch-hitter Mikie Mahtook followed with a tying double off Robby Scott.

“He threw me a curveball and I was able to get a barrel on it,” said Mahtook, who was playing his first home game for the Tigers after being acquired in the offseason.

Joe Kelly then allowed consecutive walks to McCann and Jones, forcing in the final run.

“Just yanking some fastballs to his glove side,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “Missed down and away to right-handers

ment,” Fowler said. “We’re in a good spot. It’s going to be a fun weekend. We’re going to see a lot of good golf and battle it out.”

Fowler began his move early by holing a bunker shot for eagle on the second hole, and even a bogey from the water behind the green on the par-5 15th green didn’t ruin his day. He bounced back with a birdie and stayed in the lead.

Garcia, playing his 70th consecutive major and still looking for that first victory to define an otherwise strong career, wasn’t the least bit bothered by seeing the wrong score for him on a leaderboard behind the 13th green when a penalty for a lost ball was mistakenly attributed to him. He fired a 3-iron across the water and into the wind to the 15th green for a two-putt birdie and shot 69.

Pieters made an eagle on the par-5 13th on his way to a 68. Hoffman was simply happy to join them. His four-shot lead was gone in 11 holes, and he steadied himself the rest of the way to limit the damage to a 75.

The leaders were at 4-under 140.

Hoffman will be in the final group going into the weekend at the Masters for the second time in three years, with one big difference. Two years ago, Hoffman was five shots behind Spieth in what turned out to be a runaway for the young Texan.

This time, the Masters appears to be up for grabs.

The last time there was a four-way tie for the lead at the halfway point of the Masters was in 1973, when Bob Dickson, Gay Brewer, J.C. Snead and Tommy Aaron were tied at 3-under 141. Aaron went on to claim his only green jacket.

Hoffman had a chance to keep his distance until he ran off five bogeys in a six-hole stretch, including a three-putt from 4 feet at the par-5 eighth. His lead was gone when he sprayed another tee shot into the trees at No. 11. He played 1 under the rest of the way, though he still was 10 shots worse than his score on Thursday.

“Everybody was talking about how great that round was yesterday, but it was pretty easy to me making putts, hitting good, solid golf shots,” Hoffman said. “Today I think I sort of felt how hard it was for everybody else in this wind when you got out of position.”

Garcia only really got out of position on the scoreboard.

His tee shot on No. 10 clipped a tree and shot back into the fairway, while Shane Lowry also hit a tree and couldn’t find it. All three were wearing dark sweaters during the search, and the scorers were confused with who lost the ball. Garcia made bogey, dropping him to 3 under. A few holes later, however, it was changed to 1 under on the scoreboard, and Garcia pointed to the board behind the 13th green.

It eventually was fixed, though that was of no concern to the 37-year-old Spaniard.

“The most important thing is I knew where I stood,” Garcia said.

And he knows the score that everyone talks about 70 majors as a pro without a victory, and enough close calls to make him wonder if he’ll ever get it done. Garcia has never seriously contended in the Masters, however, so while this is 19th appearance at Augusta, being part of a 36-hole lead is new territory.

It’s too early to think about how a green jacket would fit him not with 36 holes left, not with so many quality players around him.

“That would be the best thing that could happen to me,” Garcia said.

William McGirt (73) was two shots behind. The group at 1-under 143 included Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose (72), Couples (70) and Spanish rookie Jon Rahm, who had a 70 and looms as a threat to become the first Masters rookie to win since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.