"That's as good as I think we've seen Matt Boyd," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.
Francisco Rodriguez threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his 33rd save of the season as Detroit ended its five-game losing streak.
"We competed to the end of this game and tried to make something happen," Hamels said. "Their pitcher did a great job. He really kept us off balance."
Victor Martinez drove in the Tigers' first run on their 10th hit with an RBI single in the fifth. An inning later, third baseman Casey McGehee added an RBI double in a 4-for-5 effort.