Javier Baez blasted a chin-high fastball from Ryan Brasier in the eighth inning for a 396-foot homer to give the Detroit Tigers the 3-1 lead over the Boston Red Sox. They never looked back.

Other than a J.D. Martinez solo jack in the fifth, Boston’s offense had a lifeless four-hit performance Monday to open the three-game series. Matt Manning dazzled through six innings only giving up one hit — which was the Martinez homer. He even only struck out two, but still was able to work through Boston’s lineup with ease.

While it was a two-hit outing through for Michael Wacha in his first start with the Red Sox, he walked three and was pulled mid-fifth inning. He got out of a bases-juiced jam in the first by just yielding a sac fly to Miguel Cabrera.

Matt Barnes tossed a scoreless sixth in his first outing of the season after returning from his back injury, before three pitchers worked the eighth. Austin Davis started out the inning after a scoreless seventh with a base hit and was pulled for Brasier, who then surrendered the back-breaking blow. Phillips Valdez finished the eighth for Brasier with two strikeouts.

Rafael Devers lined a one-out double in the ninth off Gregory Soto but the Sox were unable to do any damage. Martinez’s opposite-field flyout made it to the warning track but it was caught by Rob Grossman for the final out.

Tomorrow is Rich Hill vs. Tyler Alexander at 1:10 p.m. ET.

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