Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo drops a ball hit by the Tigers’ Edgar Renteria after fielding the grounder in the ninth inning. The error led to the winning run for the Tigers.

AP / Duane Burleson

DETROIT — A checked-swing single. A Julio Lugo bobble of a softly hit grounder. A sacrifice bunt. A groundout. A broken-bat single.

It doesn’t sound like much, but that was how the Detroit Tigers pinned a blown save on Jonathan Papelbon, pushing across two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the last of which came on Placido Polanco’s fifth hit of the night, for a dramatic 10-9 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park last night.

The outcome ended the Red Sox’ winning streak at five games and snapped the Tigers’ losing streak at five.

And the shake-your-head, how-did-this-happen result negated three spirited Boston comebacks that overcame 4-0, 5-2 and 8-4 deficits. Thanks to a pair of homers by Kevin Youkilis, a two-out game-tying three-run bomb by Mike Lowell in the seventh and Dustin Pedroia’s pinch-hit go-ahead single in the eighth, Boston had a 9-8 lead to turn over to their generally invincible closer.

Papelbon was 10 for 10 in save chances this season. And while this one got away from him, it resembled one of those blown Mariano Rivera saves, a bloop here, a handle shot there.

The Red Sox right-hander was a victim of some tough luck, though the flame-thrower also wasn’t able to blaze his way to a key punchout or two, either, against the Tigers, who finished the game with 18 hits in breaking out of their offensive funk.

“It was just a little jab punch, man. One little jab punch ain’t going to knock me out, man,” sighed Papelbon after icing his shoulder and elbow in the clubhouse, staring off into space for a while as he sat there, trying to digest what had just happened to him and the Sox.

The first sign of trouble was Matt Joyce’s 0-and-2 checked-swing bouncer past the mound on the third-base side. It rolled into no-man’s land and Joyce beat Lugo’s belated throw. With Ryan Raburn’s running for Joyce, Edgar Renteria hit a grounder similar to Joyce’s.

Lugo charged. He took his eye off the ball and mishandled it for his 10th error this season.

“It was a soft-hit ground ball,” said Lugo. “I thought I had a chance to get the guy at second. I was a little overaggressive instead of getting the out at first. I tried to get the lead runner and bobbled the ball.”

So the Tigers had runners at first and second with none out. Papelbon said he wasn’t upset about the error.

“I wasn’t letting that get into my head,” said Papelbon. “I was thinking one pitch at a time.”

He knew the next hitter, Pudge Rodriguez, would be bunting. Rodriguez squared and took the first pitch for a strike. He bunted the next pitch in front of the plate, and the only play for catcher Jason Varitek was to throw to first for the out, leaving Tigers at second and third with one out.

Manager Terry Francona kept his infield back up the middle, willing to give up the tying run for an out. Had he played the shortstop and the second baseman in, a grounder in the right spot would deliver two runs and a win.

Papelbon, meanwhile, had one thought on his mind as Curtis Granderson stepped into the box and Polanco settled into the on-deck circle.

“I just said, ‘All I need are two Ks,’ ” said Papelbon.

But he didn’t get even one strikeout.

He fell behind Granderson, 2-0. His next pitch was down, and Granderson was able to hit it on the ground to second. Pedroia made the play, but Raburn scored the run that tied the game at 9-9.

“I figured Granderson would be choking up [on the bat] trying to put the ball in play,” said Papelbon. “I threw a splitter down, but he got the ground ball and the run.”

“It’s a good thing I had the infield back because that might have gone through,” said Francona. “We still had a chance to hold them there.”

Again, though, Papelbon fell behind, this time at 3-0 to Polanco. His next pitch was called a strike, a surprise to Polanco, who threw his bat behind and began to head to first, thinking it was ball four. Polanco swung and missed the next pitch, but got enough of his bat on the 3-and-2 pitch, shattering the wood, and sending a flare toward shallow left.

Lugo went after it, but really had no chance for it, the ball landing safely on the turf and producing the game-winning run.

“I don’t know what to say, man,” said Papelbon. “I felt like I executed my pitches. I felt like I located all of them for the most part. It was just one of them days, man. That’s baseball.”

skrasner@projo.com