- The Tigers needed Omar Infante to come through in that spot. He had a great matchup against Boston left-hander Craig Breslow and didn't take advantage of it. Breslow looked like he was going to be in trouble after walking the left-handed hitter Alex Avila.
- The pitch Mike Napoli hit for a home off Justin Verlander in the seventh inning wasn't that bad a pitch. It was 96 mph, but it was out over the plate and did allow Napoli to extend his arms. Look, we've seen that before in this town from Napoli, the former Texas Ranger. He has tremendous power, but lacks consistency. He ran into one. It's what he does sometimes, For the record, it was Verlander's 100th pitch on a 3-2 count. You can't put this on Verlander.
- Jarrod Saltalmacchia and Jonny Gomes pushed Verlander after Napoli's one-out home run. It was a 12 pitches before Verlander retired Gomes, but it could prove to be a key at bat in this game given the struggles of Detroit's bullpen.
- The key for John Lackey, the Red Sox starter, was getting ahead in the count consistently. It allowed him to set up his breaking ball effectively. The Tigers' hitters helped him out a few times, though.