BOSTON - Max Scherzer is hard to faze. Detroits right-hander wasnt bothered by a 47-minute rain delay in the fourth inning Friday night and wasnt flustered when the game restarted 10 minutes earlier than anticipated. And as for the defending World Series champions? They hardly troubled him at all. Scherzer tossed six shutout innings, outdueling Boston ace Jon Lester and leading the Tigers to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series. "The rain delay had no effect on me," said Scherzer, who won his sixth straight start and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.83. "When I went back out there for the fourth, it was the same." So was his stuff. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner allowed just three hits over six-plus innings before being removed after a leadoff single by Mike Carp in the seventh. "This might have been the best his stuff has been all year," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. Scherzer (6-1) disagreed, citing a below-average changeup and his four walks, one of which was intentional. "Its always going to drive me crazy when Im not throwing first-pitch strikes and when Im walking guys," said Scherzer, who struck out seven. "Even though I wasnt able to do that tonight, when runners were on base I was still able to make big-time pitches." Joba Chamberlain retired the side in the eighth and closer Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save of the season. Torii Hunter delivered an RBI single in the first inning for the Tigers, playing their first game against the Red Sox since losing last years American League Championship Series in six games. Times have changed. Detroit has baseballs best record at 25-12, winning 13 of its last 16 games and nine in a row on the road. Scherzer is a major reason why. He faced the minimum through three innings before rain halted play with one out in the top of the fourth. While it definitely put a damper on the marquee matchup of aces, the delay barely slowed Scherzer, who stayed warm by throwing in the cages and was ready to go when the game restarted ahead of schedule. "For me, once I was able to get loose, I felt the same," he said. Had the delay lasted longer, Scherzers night may have prematurely come to an end. "Right around an hour would have been too much," Ausmus said. "Theres a little bit of a grey area on either side of that, but if it had gone much longer, he probably would have been done." Following the delay, David Ortiz recorded Bostons first hit with a two-out single in the fourth, but was left on base when Scherzer fanned Carp. David Ross singled to begin the sixth but was stranded on third when Scherzer struck out Napoli. "I didnt pitch my best, but when runners were on base and I needed to make big pitches, I made big pitches," Scherzer said. "Thats the difference in the game." Lester (4-5) exited the game after five innings and 94 pitches. He gave up just one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. "With the rain delay, we were in that situation nearly an hour and werent going to push Jon more than the five innings tonight," Boston manager John Farrell said. "But to think one run in the first inning was going to be the difference, probably didnt anticipate that." Lester laboured through a 27-pitch first inning, highlighted by Hunters run-scoring single that plated Ian Kinsler, who singled. "I actually felt better coming out of the rain delay then I did coming into the game," Lester said. "I felt like I threw the ball a lot better the last two innings than I did the first three. I felt like I could have gone one more, but it wasnt my decision." NOTES: Lester and Scherzer had faced off just once before, on Sept. 3, 2013, in a 2-1 Boston victory. Lester earned the win, allowing one run in seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Scherzer yielded two runs over seven innings. ... Cabrera entered the game batting .522 (12 for23) with one homer in his career against Lester. He went 0 for 2 with a walk Friday. ... Ortizs fifth-inning single extended his season-long hitting streak to nine games. ... Detroit reliever Evan Reed was called for a balk in the seventh. Robert Lewandowski Jersey . Just ask Arsenal fans. However, Arsene Wenger has repeatedly told anyone willing to listen that finishing in that spot is more important than winning a cup competition. Thomas Muller Jersey . - The Toronto Blue Jays have optioned pitchers Kyle Drabek, Chad Jenkins and Sean Nolin to triple-A Buffalo. http://www.fcbayernsoccerproshop.com/c-7...ich-jersey.aspx. It was considered unlikely that Rielly would be loaned to Canada for the tournament, which begins Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden, though a stretch of three straight games in the press box made it something of a debate. Mats Hummels Jersey . Curlings version of the Ryder Cup will introduce a new format beginning with the 2015 event, set for Jan. 8 to 11 in Calgary, as itll be Team Canada taking on Team Europe this season and in the 2017 event, while itll be Team Canada against Team World (including the U. Corentin Tolisso Bayern Munich Jersey . Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid bettered its title rivals by demolishing 10-man Getafe 7-0 with Diego Costa returning from injury to score with a brilliant bicycle kick. "It was an almost perfect night," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.Who were the best Premier League players from the weekend games? We take a look at the man-of-the-match performances in our hotlist. Chelsea moved to the top of the Premier League thanks to a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough on Sunday, while Manchester City also made ground in the title race after their 2-1 victory away to Crystal Palace on Saturday.Tottenham also picked up a valuable three points at home to West Ham, but Liverpool had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Southampton and Manchester United were held by Arsenal. But which players starred in particular? Read on to remind yourself of the standout displays - and let us know who you think deserves the plaudits by leaving a comment or tweeting us @SkyFootball...Antonio Valencia (MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 Arsenal) Antonio Valencia was named man of the match during Manchester Uniteds 1-1 draw with Arsenal The United full-back was a constant thorn in Arsenals side at Old Trafford. He was solid in defence and was always a threat going forward, giving Nacho Monreal in particular a torrid time.He could have had a penalty on 35 minutes, taking a tumble in the penalty area after a coming together with Monreal but referee Andre Marriner waved away the appeals. Highlights - Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal The 31-year-olds performance drew praise from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who awarded the Ecuador international man of the match and described him as Uniteds best player.Yaya Toure (Crystal Palace 1-2 MANCHESTER CITY) WATCH: Yaya Toure returns with double Toure was the surprise name in Pep Guardiolas starting line-up and he repaid his managers faith with two goals as City beat Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park.The Ivory Coast international, making his first Premier League start since April, had been out in the cold since August but he showed no signs of rustiness, rolling back the years to put in a commanding performance in the middle of the park. Highlights - Crystal Palace 1-2 Man City The lack of game time did not affect his finishing either as he scored his 76th and 77th goals for City to mark a perfect return to action and help them secure a vital victory in the race for the Premier League title.Virgil van Dijk (SOUTHAMPTON 0-0 Liverpool) Virgil van Dijk beats Roberto Firmino (L) and Joel Matip in the air In a game that Liverpool largely dominated, it was Southamptons centre-backs who helped keep them at bay. Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk both made crucial last-ditch tackles, and the latter was particularly impressive throughout.Speaking afterwards, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said Van Dijk has everything. The two centre-backs can go up against anyone in the league. Fonte is a top level player and Van Dijk has impressed everyone since he came here, even though there were some doubts coming from Celtic, he added.Southampton manager Claude Puel was also impressed, even though he added: It is not a surprise, it is not amazing. Since the beginning of the season, Virgil has been excellent. Highlights - Southampton 0-0 Liverpool Aside from a couple of chances, Van Dijk and Fonte kept Liverpools attacking trio of Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane quiet.And Van Dijk made a brilliant challenge to block a shot from Mane late in the first half.Victor Anichebe (SUNDERLAND 3-0 Hull City) Sunderland striker Victor Anichebe celebrates scoring his second goal against Hull City Jermain Defoe showed his class to set Sunderland on their way to victory with a coolly-taken 150th Premier League goal at home to Hull but it was Victor Anichebe whose power in front of goal put the seal on the result.Both of his second-half strikes were powerful efforts which beat goalkeeper David Marshall at his near post, and he showed plenty of strength on the ball in between them. Highlights - Sunderland 3-0 Hull It was enough for his manager David Moyes to describe him as a baby Drogba after the game and while such comparisons may be generous at this stage, Sunderland might just have found the goal source to complement the consistency of Defoe that could prove vital in their fight for survival.Ross Barkley (EVERTON 1-1 Swansea) Ross Barkley (L) gets past Federico Fernnandez during Evertons 1-1 draw with Swansea It was a frustrating afternoon for Everton against the Swans at Goodison but Barkley looked bright at times when his team-mates were often lacklustre.ddddddddddddIt was far from the perfect performance, as some Toffees fans may testify, but the midfielder constantly led Evertons attacks and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. Highlights - Everton 1-1 Swansea Honourable mention to Jordi Amat at the back for Swansea, but it was his header which proved costly late on as it sailed straight to Coleman for the equaliser.Nordin Amrabat (WATFORD 2-1 Leicester City) Nordin Amrabat (C) is tackled by Shinji Okazaki (L) and Daniel Drinkwater (R) The Watford winger was a constant threat and gave Christian Fuchs in particular a torrid time, with the Austrian perhaps fortunate not to collect a second yellow card.Amrabat did blot his copybook when he failed to convert a pass from Troy Deeney before half-time but otherwise put in a good shift and played a key role in a decent win. Highlights - Watford 2-1 Leicester Steve Cook (Stoke 0-1 BOURNEMOUTH) Steve Cook (R) celebrates with Simon Francis (C) after the final whistle at the Bet365 Stadium Cook has played every minute for Bournemouth so far this season, but his showing at the Bet365 Stadium was up there with his best in a Cherries shirt.He was first to everything as Bournemouth earned their first away win of the season and their fourth Premier League clean sheet, making 11 clearances as Eddie Howes side put in the perfect defensive performance. Highlights - Stoke 0-1 Bournemouth He headed off the line in the first half from Ryan Shawcross header, but his contribution was more subtle than a key moment. He cleared everything that came into the box from Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic, and dealt with the physical threat of Wilfried Bony superbly.Harry Winks (TOTTENHAM 3-2 West Ham) WATCH: Harry Winks’ emotional celebration It was a dream maiden Premier League start for 20-year-old Winks, who not only scored the first equaliser for Tottenham but looked like an assured member of the team and arguably their best player.He continually set off attacks for his side, beating seasoned defenders in the West Ham back line and getting in a number of good crosses, before lurking in the box to net his first senior goal for Spurs. Highlights - Tottenham 3-2 West Ham Winks came in for praise from boss Mauricio Pochettino and if he manages to bring the same performance in multiple games, he could become a driving force behind Spurs unbeaten young guns.Victor Moses (Middlesbrough 0-1 CHELSEA) Highlights - Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Chelsea Sky Sports pundit Niall Quinn said Moses has been a revelation after his performance in Chelseas 1-0 win at Middlesbrough on Sunday.Moses, and Marcos Alonso on the other side, caused Middlesbrough problems down the flanks from start to finish as Chelsea kept a sixth successive clean sheet and moved to the top of the Premier League.After setting up Pedro for a chance that was brilliantly saved by Victor Valdes, Moses went close to scoring himself in the second half after being played through by Diego Costa.Hes had another brilliant game, said Quinn. Hes changed the scope and the ability of this team by being so good out on that right side. 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