Fielding woes are mounting for shortstop

Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo drops a ball hit by Detroit's Edgar Renteria in the transfer from glove to throwing hand, contributing to the Tigers' two-run ninth inning. (Duane Burleson/Associated Press)

DETROIT - Jonathan Papelbon watched as the ball off Edgar Renteria's bat headed toward shortstop, where he thought he could anticipate the outcome. An outcome that would get him one out closer to his 11th save of the season.

"I'm thinking, 'OK, now I've [got] one,' " Papelbon said. "I've got one man in scoring position, at second. I can get a pop fly and a strikeout. Anything can happen."

Not so fast.

Julio Lugo, who has struggled mightily in the field this season, dropped the ball on the transfer from glove hand to throwing hand.

"It was a soft-hit ground ball," Lugo explained after his error contributed to the Tigers scoring twice in the ninth inning and beating the Red Sox, 10-9, at Comerica Park. "I thought I had a chance to go to second. I was a little overaggressive. Instead of getting one out, I was trying to get the lead runner and I bobbled the ball."

That left runners on first and second with no outs in an inning in which pinch runner Ryan Raburn scored on a ground out by Curtis Granderson and Renteria scored when Placido Polanco lofted a broken-bat single over the outstretched glove of Lugo.

Papelbon watched that one, too, likely with misplaced hope as he braced for the worst. Though it seemed inevitable that the ball hit by Polanco would be too well-placed, too high for Lugo to glove, the closer couldn't help but wish, saying afterward, "You know he's got a chance at it, but you don't know if he's going to get to it or not."

He didn't. But that certainly wasn't his fault.

"He made a great play the play before," manager Terry Francona said when asked about Lugo's error. "I think what happened is he looked to maybe think about going to second and the ball climbed up his glove."

And it wasn't as if Lugo's night was all bad. Though he didn't score, Lugo was on base three times, on a double to left-center, a hit by pitch, and a walk. But it will be hard to focus on any of those plate appearances, especially with his miscue.

Lugo extended his major league lead in errors to 10, two more than Cincinnati third baseman Edwin Encarnacion. It's something that has plagued Lugo over his career, when he has routinely topped 20 errors in a season.

Part of the reason this season's number is ever more inflated is a horrific game Lugo played in Toronto. On April 6 at Rogers Centre, Lugo committed three errors against the Blue Jays.

"You know what happened is he made the three in Toronto that are going to bite him for the rest [of the season] 'cause he has a lot now," Francona said Monday of Lugo's troubles in the field. "I actually think lately he has played a more aggressive shortstop. He's gone in the hole a couple times.

"He made those errors in Toronto. That's a bad day. That's going to up his total. We stay on him all the time about being that guy that's aggressive and fearless because that's when he's a better player."

But as for adding his own thoughts to his struggles, Lugo chose to leave his questioners with just a few words. Three, to be exact.

"You've seen it," Lugo said, then walked away.

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.

• Searched
• E-Mailed