BOSTON (AP) – Dmitri Young hit a grand slam and Brandon Inge added three hits as the Detroit Tigers rallied from a six-run deficit to beat the Red Sox 12-8 Saturday night and send Boston to its first home loss in 15 games.

The Red Sox had won 14 straight at Fenway Park since July 18, when they dropped into second place in the AL East with a loss to Tampa Bay. Boston won the next day to get back into first and has been there ever since, moving as many as 51/2 games in front of the second-place Yankees.

But with losses in three of their last four games, the World Series champions hold just a 11/2-game lead in the division – the closest New York has been since before play on July 29. Earlier Saturday, the Yankees rallied with five runs in the ninth to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-7.

Roman Colon (1-0) allowed three hits in 3 1-3 innings, striking out five and throwing consecutive wild pitches to let in his only run. Jonathan Papelbon lost his first major league decision, giving up two runs on four hits in one inning while walking two and striking out two.

Inge, Omar Infante and Magglio Ordonez each had of Detroit’s eight doubles. Ordonez had three hits.

The Red Sox scored six in the third, thanks in part to David Ortiz’s three-run homer. But Detroit made it 6-5 in the fourth when Young homered, then Inge and Infante hit consecutive doubles off starter Bronson Arroyo.

Boston scored another in the fourth when Tony Graffanino walked, moved to second on a groundout and scored on two wild pitches by Roman Colon. But the Tigers made it 8-7 with three in the sixth on doubles by Ordonez, Carlos Pena, Inge and Infante – the last three consecutively.

Notes: Tigers starter Sean Douglass went three-plus innings, allowing seven runs and nine hits. He lasted just four innings the last time he faced the Red Sox, on Aug. 15. … Arroyo, who got the loss when he relieved in extra innings on Wednesday, allowed seven runs on eight hits in 5 1-3 innings. … Tigers manager Alan Trammell was ejected in the fourth, apparently arguing about a close pickoff play at first. … Former Red Sox closer Keith Foulke made a rehab appearance in Single-A Lowell and allowed one unearned run on three hits while striking out one in 1 2-3 innings. … Boston’s 203rd consecutive sellout tied Colorado for the second-longest streak in major-league history. Cleveland’s 455-game streak from 1995-2001 remains the longest.

AP-ES-08-27-05 2336EDT

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