BOSTON (Interstat) — Dillon Dingler broke out of a brief slump with a career afternoon, powering the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday evening at Fenway Park.

The Tigers catcher, who was hitless in his previous five at-bats over the series’ first two games, went 4 for 5 with a home run, a double and four RBIs. His three-run blast in the fifth inning broke open a tight game and provided more than enough support for a dominant Framber Valdez.

A crowd of 34,650 watched as the Tigers (12-10) secured the series win, taking three of four from the Red Sox (8-13) after dropping the opener. The game time was 2 hours, 40 minutes.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the fifth inning, turning a narrow Detroit lead into a commanding advantage. With two outs and nobody on, the inning appeared to be ending quietly after two strikeouts. But Jahmai Jones ignited the rally by launching a solo home run, his first of the season, to center field off Boston starter Garrett Crochet.

Gleyber Torres then worked a walk, and Matt Vierling followed with a single to left. That brought Dingler to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch from Crochet, Dingler crushed another drive to center field, a three-run shot that landed well beyond the wall. The homer, his fifth of the year, suddenly stretched Detroit’s lead to 5-1 and effectively put the game out of reach.

Valdez (2-1) was the beneficiary of that offensive outburst. The left-hander delivered six strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out seven, consistently stifling the Red Sox lineup after a first-inning hiccup.

Boston’s only damage against Valdez came quickly. After two quick groundouts to start the bottom of the first, Willson Contreras connected for a solo home run to left-center field, his fourth of the season, to briefly tie the game at 1-1.

Detroit had struck first in the opening frame. Vierling doubled with two outs and scored when Dingler laced an RBI double to center, giving the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.

Crochet (2-3) took the loss for Boston. He lasted five innings, yielding five runs on seven hits. He struck out eight but was undone by the two costly home runs in the fifth.

The Tigers bullpen preserved the win with three innings of relief. Will Vest pitched a perfect seventh inning, and Kyle Finnegan worked a scoreless eighth. Connor Seabold allowed a run in the ninth on an RBI double by Caleb Durbin before securing the final out.

Detroit added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI single by Torres, scoring Javier Báez.

The victory defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 6-5 Boston win, and its ELO system gave the Red Sox a 55.4% probability of victory. Boston had been installed as a 1.5-run favorite, and the total of eight runs went over the closing over/under line of 7.

Dingler’s performance was a stark reversal from his recent outings. He was 0 for 2 in Saturday’s 4-1 win and 0 for 3 in Friday’s 1-0 loss. His last multi-hit game was a 2-for-5, two-RBI effort against Kansas City on April 16.

The Tigers continue their road trip with the series finale in Boston on Monday before heading home to face Milwaukee. The Red Sox, after Monday’s game, will prepare for a pivotal early-season series at home against the New York Yankees.