Turning point in Tigers' crucial loss to Red Sox came way before brutal blown lead

The Detroit Tigers lost a heartbreaker on Friday night and got to watch the Boston Red Sox punch their ticket to the MLB Postseason — something that's eluded A.J. Hinch's club for what feels like the better part of a month.

The Red Sox won Friday's game in walk-off fashion and then celebrated their return to the playoffs. Detroit took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning, only to watch Boston score one run in three consecutive innings, including a walk-off triple courtesy of Ceddane Rafaela.

Now before you go and blame the bullpen once again — and they certainly deserve some heat — the Tigers' bats that fell asleep at the wheel with a golden opportunity earlier in the game. Friday's loss was a stark reminder that when an opponent gives you a chance to put them away, you have to do it.

Tigers' crucial loss to Red Sox came well before the bullpen blew the 3-1 lead

The Tigers scored three runs on Friday night at Fenway Park, and only three runs. But given how the fourth inning unfolded, Detroit should've put at least four runs on the board, if not more. The Tigers scored three runs without recording a single out, and had runners on second and third after a Jahmai Jones double forced Boston to pull their starter.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora went to his bullpen and replaced starter Kyle Harrison with reliever Justin Slaten. A sac fly to the outfield, or even a ground ball to the right side of the infield could've scored Javier Baez from third base.

Instead, Gleyber Torres grounded a 2-1 pitch right to Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story. That froze Baez at third base, and Torres was quickly retired. Wenceel Perez drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases, which brought Spencer Torkelson to the plate. The Tigers infielder foolishly chased a ball up and in, and foul popped to the catcher for the second out of the inning.

With Riley Greene standing in for the Tigers, Cora went to his bullpen once again and set up a left-on-left matchup between Detroit's slugger and Red Sox southpaw Steven Matz. The at-bat was over after Greene tried to ambush a first-pitch sinker up in the zone and flied out weakly to end the inning.

The Tigers finished the game 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. While the Tigers bullpen, as it has so often during the second of the season, imploded down the stretch, it was Detroit's inability to capitalize in the fourth inning that ruined their chances to punch their postseason ticket. Instead, they'll head into Saturday's contest in Beantown with what can only be described as a must-win game.

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