Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, left, steps on the bag to get the Tigers’ Gary Sheffield on a forceout in the third inning last night. But Lugo later made a crucial ninth-inning error.

AP / Duane Burleson

DETROIT — The string of outstanding starts by the Sox’ staff came to an end last night.

Rookie Clay Buchholz lasted only four innings. He was charged with 5 runs on 10 hits in only 4 innings. The right-hander put the Red Sox in a 5-2 hole.

Over Boston’s previous 10 starts, which constituted two trips through the five-man rotation, a starting pitcher allowed as many as four earned runs on only one occasion. In only three outings did the starter work fewer than seven innings.

Buchholz was unable to maintain the standard. Not all of the Tigers’ hits were scorched. There was a swinging bunt and a checked-swing roller, and there were a few flares in there, too. And he had his typically devastating changeup and curveball working for him.

His fastball, though, was a problem for him last night.

“Of the 10 hits he gave up, eight came on fastballs that ran out over the plate,” said manager Terry Francona.

Buchholz, who had never faced the Tigers, had the upper hand over the first two innings. But the second time through the batting order, Detroit hitters seemed to get more comfortable with his stuff, especially in the third, when they put together five hits and a walk for four runs.

Buchholz had a mild scare when he slipped trying to field a swinging bunt down the third-base line in the second. He got up gingerly and was joined on the mound by Francona and trainer Paul Lessard, but he was able to stay in the game.

“That scared me a little bit, but I got up and didn’t feel anything,” said Buchholz of the play, in which the ball would have gone foul had it not hit his left foot as he slid on the grass.

skrasner@projo.com