The only other time Steven Wright had faced the Detroit Tigers, he was a completely different pitcher.

It was almost a year ago to the day.

He had just seven major league starts to his name, he was still shuttling back and forth not just in his roles, but from the majors to Triple A.

When the Tigers visited Fenway on July 25, 2015, he gave up four runs on five hits in 4⅓ innings before manager John Farrell took the ball from him. It was one of his worst starts of the season.

A year later, though, Wright had transformed into the most reliable arm in the Sox rotation.

The 2.67 ERA he brought with him in the Sox’s matchup against the visiting Tigers on Tuesday was the best in the American League. Beyond that, the knuckleballer had Farrell’s trust to navigate turbulence and go deep in starts — he was one of just six pitchers in the majors with three complete games this season.

But even with the longer leash, the Tigers still had his number.

Wright lasted just 4⅔ innings, getting roughed up for eight runs on nine hits in a 9-8 loss. For just the third time this season, Wright failed to make it out of the fifth inning. The runs and hits allowed both matched season highs.

Despite Jackie Bradley Jr. going 2 for 3 with a homer, Mookie Betts going 2 for 4 with two doubles, David Ortiz hitting his 25th homer of the season, and the Sox offense erasing deficits of four and three runs, the Sox still lost for the second straight night and the fourth time in five games. The Red Sox look to avoid a sweep Wednesday in a 1:35 p.m. getaway game.

“I felt like our guys kept battling back,’’ Wright said. “And for me to dig us another hole to get out of, it’s tough. It’s tough to keep asking the offense to keep carrying us like that.

“You get a lead like that I’ve got to be able to go out there and throw up another zero or at least limit the damage. When you give up a four-spot, it’s tough to come back from that, especially against a good team like this.’’

The Tigers tagged him for four runs in the first two innings. Miguel Cabrera ripped one of his knuckleballs for a two-run homer in the first inning,

“I thought Miguel hit a pop fly and it ended up going 360 feet,’’ Wright said.

Then in the second, Tyler Collins and Jose Iglesias tagged him for RBI singles.

David Ortiz pulled the Sox out of the ditch in the fourth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Ortiz got a full-count sinker from Mike Pelfrey and ripped it into the Tigers’ bullpen for his 25th home run of the season.

It was career homer No. 528 for Ortiz, pulling him within six of Jimmie Foxx for 18th on baseball’s all-time list.

Ortiz became just the ninth player 40 or older to hit 25 or more homers in a season. With 61 extra-base hits this season, he’s one shy of the record for a player in his 40s, held by Dave Winfield. Forty-five of those extra-base hits have come at Fenway, putting him on pace for 63 this season, which would match Babe Ruth’s 1921 record for most extra-base hits at home.

“He’s been amazing really,’’ Tigers manger Brad Ausmus said before the game. “He might want to rethink that retirement thing. Impressive. How old is he, 40? I know this, I wasn’t hitting like that when I was 40. Of course I wasn’t hitting like that when I was 25, either.’’

The Sox took the lead in the fourth when a Brock Holt ground ball scored Bradley and Betts lined a double to right that scored Travis Shaw. But they found themselves right back in the hole when the Tigers hung four runs on Wright in the fifth.

Wright walked Iglesias and Cabrera to start the inning, then gave up an RBI single to Victor Martinez to tie the game at 5. Nick Castellanos singled to right to make it first and second with no outs, then a ground ball by Justin Upton scored Cabrera to give the Tigers the lead. A two-run single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia gave the Tigers an 8-5 cushion and left the Sox looking for a late-game rally.

“I didn’t feel like they hit any ball hard, but when you’re pitching with two guys on and nobody out it doesn’t really matter,’’ Wright said. “They capitalized on the mistakes that I made.’’

Still, the Sox offense had another rally in it.

A solo homer by Bradley to start the sixth sparked a three-run inning. Dustin Pedroia lined an RBI single to center and Holt scored on a ground ball by Xander Bogaerts, knotting the game at 8.

But the Tigers went ahead for good in the seventh. Robbie Ross Jr., who picked up for Wright in the fifth and threw two innings, walked Collins with the bases loaded, giving the Tigers the go-ahead run.

For the 13th time this season, the Sox lost despite scoring five or more runs.

“It is frustrating when you put up that many runs on the board and come away on the wrong side of it,’’ Farrell said.

Wright’s given up more earned runs in his past six starts (24) than he did in his first 14 (22). Twelve of those first 14 outings were quality starts, but he’s only had two quality starts in his last six trips to the mound.

“Tonight was probably the toughest out of all the outings,’’ Wright said. “That’s baseball, you’re going to have good days and you’re going to have bad days.’’

Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @julianbenbow.