Jackson's 9th-inning single lifts Tigers past Red Sox

DETROIT -- Justin Verlander was brilliant on the mound and Prince Fielder drove in a key run with his bat. Still, after a rare slip by Jose Valverde, the Detroit Tigers were all tied with Boston in the bottom of the ninth.

Up stepped Austin Jackson -- Detroit's strikeout-prone leadoff man -- needing only a little poke through the infield to win the game.

Jackson delivered, hitting a sharp ground ball past third with the bases loaded to give the Tigers a 3-2 win over the Red Sox in Thursday's opener.

It was Jackson's third hit of the game, and it enabled his team to leave the ballpark happy on a day when Verlander again looked impressive.

"I get the strikeout questions a lot, but it doesn't bother me. I understand," said Jackson, a former Yankees prospect, who fanned 351 times in his first two big-league seasons. "I stayed with the approach as far as just putting the ball in play, and it worked out."

Verlander, last year's AL MVP and Cy Young winner, was dominant for eight innings and left with a 2-0 lead. But Valverde (1-0) blew a save for the first time in 52 chances, a streak that included 49 in a row last season.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland sounded almost relieved after Valverde's first blown save since 2010. "When I say this, I mean it: In a way, I'm glad that streak's over," Leyland said. "It puts that behind us and we can just go forward."

Boston manager Bobby Valentine lost in his return to the major leagues after replacing Terry Francona following the team's 7-20 September slide that cost the Red Sox a playoff spot last year.

"There was a lot I saw that I liked. [Jon] Lester was terrific. He did just what he needed to do," Valentine said. "Verlander was very good. A lot of pitches on the outside corner were perfect pitches. We knew he was good and he's still good, if anyone is wondering."

Valentine brought in Mark Melancon (0-1) to start the Detroit ninth, and he allowed one-out singles to Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila.

Alfredo Aceves replaced Melancon and hit Ramon Santiago with a pitch. Then Jackson came through with a single past diving third baseman Nick Punto to win it.