The Tigers lineup seemed to present little threat to Red Sox starter Jon Lester. With the lineup already stripped by injuries to second baseman Carlos Guillen, third baseman Brandon Inge and outfielder Magglio Ordonez, Detroit announced shortly before the game that left fielder Johnny Damon would be scratched with back spasms.

Didn’t matter. Jhonny Peralta, acquired by the Tigers in a trade on Thursday, blasted a pair of homers against Lester in his Tigers debut. Peralta became the first Tigers player since Billy McMillon in 2000 to launch a pair of homers in his first game with Detroit, and the Sox could manage little offense until a too-little, too-late ninth-inning grand slam by David Ortiz en route to a 6-5 loss.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

–Perhaps he is just a victim of the very high expectations that he has set for himself, but for the third straight outing, Jon Lester — who pitched serviceably, allowing four runs in six-plus innings, was hit hard. He set a new career high by allowing 11 hits, and matched a season high by conceding two homers.

For the third straight start, he allowed three or more earned runs (matching his longest such streak of the year, which previously took place in the first three games of the year). Since the All-Star break, Lester is now 0-3 with a 4.57 ERA.

–Adrian Beltre had a chance to put the Sox on the board early, batting with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the first. But he bounced into a harmless comebacker, and the Sox are now 1-for-13 with the bases loaded since the All-Star break.

–In his first relief appearance since going back from the rotation to the bullpen, Tim Wakefield exhibited rust. In his first relief appearance since May 17 (and first appearance of any sort since July 20), Wakefield allowed a pair of runs in an eighth inning in which he gave up a walk, single and wild pitch.

–Mike Cameron offered a glimpse of the defensive limitations that have resulted from his abdominal injury when a ball to the gap in left-center ticked off the tip of his glove. It was a play that a healthy Cameron likely would have made in past seasons. While he has always ranked as one of the top defensive outfielders in the game for several years, Cameron entered Friday with a -11 rating in the John Dewan Plus/Minus system (meaning he had made 11 fewer plays than the average center fielder on comparable plays), a mark that ranked 30th among big league center fielders.

–Though Jeremy Hermida was robbed of a hit on a diving play by second baseman Will Rhymes, he suffered another hitless night, going 0-for-3. He is now 2-for-20 since returning from the disabled list, including an 0-for-17 stretch that dates to his first start off the disabled list. With a left-handed reliever on the mound in the eighth, the Sox elected to pinch-hit for Hermida, whose playing time seems to be in some jeopardy (even with a right-hander on the mound, he was not originally in the starting lineup).

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

–Victor Martinez delivered the first extra-base hit by a Red Sox catcher since Jason Varitek hit a double on June 24. It was the first extra-base knock for Martinez since June 19.

Martinez had a strong overall game at the plate, doubling twice, walking and driving a ball the opposite way to left-center. His first double came while batting left-handed, and his second came after he had turned around against left-handed reliever Phil Coke. The right-handed double was particularly noteworthy, given that Martinez had struggled more with his slightly fractured left thumb while batting from the right side.

With an assist from the umpire, Martinez also threw out an attempted base thief, the first runner he’s gunned down since returning from the DL.

–David Ortiz launched a grand slam against Tigers closer Jose Valverde with one out in the ninth inning, giving the Sox their second grand slam in as many games and Ortiz his first since 2008. That blow turned around the night for Ortiz, who was 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts to that point in the game. He is striking out with great frequency, having done so at least once in each of the last 13 games, the longest such streak of his career.

–Marco Scutaro, who hit a grand slam on Wednesday, hit his second homer in as many games. It marked the fifth time in his career that he has hit homers in consecutive games. He also added a single, and has reached base in seven of his last 10 plate appearances.

–The Red Sox got positive medical news on Dustin Pedroia and Varitek, both of whom achieved what manager Terry Francona described as “significant healing.”