DETROIT (AP) – Josh Beckett got eight strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career and Kevin Youkilis hit another home run at spacious Comerica Park to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.

Beckett (4-2) gave up six hits and a run in seven innings and Youkilis hit his third home run in two games, giving him eight in Detroit. He hasn’t hit more than two outside Fenway Park.

The Red Sox took three of four in the series from the Tigers and have won six of their past seven, while Detroit has lost six of seven.

Justin Verlander (1-6) gave up five runs on nine hits in six innings. He struck out five, but allowed Jason Varitek’s two-run single and Jacoby Ellsbury’s sacrifice fly in the second inning, as well as Youkilis’ two-run drive in the fifth.

Ramon Santiago hit a run-scoring single in the fourth. Curtis Granderson struck out four times and has seven whiffs in his past 10 at-bats for Detroit.

Schilling tests ailing shoulder again

Boston Red Sox starter Curt Schilling played long toss before Thursday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, continuing his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said that the session went well, although progress hasn’t been as quick as the 41-year-old pitcher would like.

“He wants to feel like he’s 24 again, and I don’t know how likely that’s ever going to be,” Francona said. “He did what we wanted him to do, and now we’ll get him back on his exercise program and have him do it again on Saturday.”

Schilling threw 25 balls from 60 feet away on Tuesday, testing the ailing right shoulder for the first time. He repeated the exercise Thursday before the Red Sox completed a four-game series in Detroit.

Schilling preferred to have surgery on the shoulder, but after being examined by three doctors, he agreed to rest and rehabilitation. Schilling has a tendon injury and possibly a damaged rotator cuff.

Schilling went 9-8 in 24 starts for the Red Sox last season despite missing six weeks with a shoulder problem. He won three games in the postseason, including Game 2 of the World Series.

He signed an $8 million, one-year contract with Boston in November, but announced in February that he would miss significant time because of the shoulder problem.

AP-ES-05-08-08 1811EDT