Detroit trailed 10-7 when Miguel Cabrera tied the game with a three-run shot off Alfredo Aceves in the ninth. Boston then scored twice in the 11th, but Mark Melancon (0-2) couldn’t hold the lead.
Cabrera and Prince Fielder singled before a wild pitch sent Cabrera to third and Delmon Young’s sacrifice fly cut the margin in half. Avila followed with a drive to right and Cody Ross tried to make a leaping catch, but the ball appeared to hit a restraining gate just above the wall before caroming back onto the field.
Duane Below (2-0) got one out for the win — even though Detroit manager Jim Leyland said he wouldn’t be available — and the Tigers completed a three-game sweep in a game that lasted 4 hours, 45 minutes.
Boston is without newly acquired closer Andrew Bailey, who had surgery on his right thumb. Melancon and Aceves are the primary candidates to close in Bailey’s absence, and both blew saves on Sunday.
In St. Petersburg, Florida, Jeremy Hellickson came within one out of a three-hitter on his birthday and Tampa Bay beat New York to complete a season-opening sweep and match the best start in club history.
Carlos Pena and Jeff Keppinger homered for Tampa Bay, which also started with three consecutive wins in 2002.
New York is 0-3 for the first time since 1998, when it went on to win 114 games and the World Series. The last time the Yankees and Red Sox both opened with three straight losses was 1966, according to STATS LLC.
Celebrating his 25th birthday, Hellickson (1-0) limited the Yankees to three doubles.
In Arlington, Texas, Matt Harrison pitched six scoreless innings, and Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre and David Murphy homered to power Texas over Chicago.
Hamilton’s first homer of the season was a 441-foot blast that landed in the second deck of seats high above the Rangers’ bullpen in right-center field. That was leading off the sixth against Gavin Floyd (0-1), putting Texas up 4-0 right after Harrison threw his last pitch.
In Baltimore, Jason Hammel took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his Baltimore debut and the Orioles beat Minnesota for a three-game sweep.
Hammel (1-0) faced the minimum 21 batters through seven innings, allowing two walks, before Justin Morneau ended the no-hit bid with a leadoff double off the right-field wall in the eighth.
Josh Willingham followed with an RBI double and Sean Burroughs drew a one-out walk before Hammel finished by striking out Luke Hughes and retiring Ben Revere on a fly to right.
Jim Johnson worked the ninth to earn his second save and complete the two-hitter.
Hammel came to Baltimore in February in the trade that sent Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado.
In Anaheim, California, Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler homered and drove in three runs apiece, and Kansas City beat Los Angeles to take two of three in their season-opening series.
Jonathan Sanchez (1-0) got through five innings to win his first start with the Royals, who dampened the revamped Angels’ much-hyped home debut with two victories after getting shut out on opening day.
Albert Pujols went 2 for 3 with a double and two walks, driving in his first run for the Angels with a first-inning groundout. Los Angeles’ new $240 million slugger went 3 for 10 with two doubles in his first three games at Angel Stadium.
In Cleveland, Carlos Santana hit two home runs on his 26th birthday, Derek Lowe pitched seven strong innings and Cleveland beat Toronto for its first win.
Santana opened the second inning with a drive to center. He connected a second time off Joel Carreno (0-1) in the fifth, a two-run shot to right that broke a 2-all tie.
It was Santana’s second career multihomer game. On his last four birthdays, including two years in the minors, Santana is 10 for 17 with five homers and 13 RBIs.
