TORONTO – After the Detroit Tigers avoided a three-game sweep with a 3-1 win over Toronto at the Rogers Center, the Blue Jays were forced to focus on small victories on Thursday.
Toronto starter Chris Basitt had two quality starts in a row, the Blue Jays’ bullpen gave up only one run in the series, and George Springer extended his hitting streak to seven games.
Detroit (3-9) ended a six-game losing skid, while Toronto (8-5) lost for the second time in nine games.
Basit (1-2), who struggled in his Blue Jays debut and rebounded in his second start, allowed two earned runs and four hits in six appearances.
Toronto manager John Schneider said, “He’s really good at reading a hitter’s swing and he’s not afraid to throw on any count.” “I think it’s just to keep hitters at bay a little bit. That’s what he’s been doing for a while and what he continues to do.”
The veteran right-hander, who signed a three-year contract with Toronto last fall, has seven strikeouts and three walks.
“I think mine is back to normal,” Basit said.
It was the first home loss of the season for the Blue Jays, who started the campaign with a 10-game trip.
Beau Bichet had two hits in his sixth multi-hit game of the season. Toronto beat Detroit he 8-7.
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Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull (1-2) pitched five innings, giving up six hits, one earned run, one walk, and six strikeouts. Chassen Shreve, Jason Foley, and Jose Cisnero each pitched an inning of relief before Alex Lange, who scored his ninth clean on the first save.
“We struggled to get to 27 outs,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “Man, everyone helped us out today.”
Detroit shortstop Javier Baez was pulled from the game after being doubled off in the second inning. Assuming Akil Badoo’s fly ball was about to end the inning, he started trotting to third base, not realizing it was just second base.
“If you look at the last few episodes of the series, we made a lot of mental mistakes. The only thing we can control is preparation and preparation,” Hinch said. I just happened to be the runner who made the big mistake that made me move.
“But it’s a message to our entire team that we have to clean it up.”
Jonathan Scoop stepped in for Baez and Nick Mutton moved from third base to shortstop. Baez said he was on the same page as Skipper.
“Of course we have to respect the game,” Baez said. “He makes decisions and I respect them. He’s the director and we have to respect his work.”
Each team scored a run in the third inning when Jake Rodgers came home on Tyler Nevin’s sacrifice fly. In the bottom half, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single to plate Cavan Biggio.
Detroit regained the lead in the fifth inning when Zach McKinstry fired a gapper to home Badoo.
The Blue Jays put the runners in scoring position in the frame as Springer and Bichette singled before advancing on Dalton Bajo’s ground ball. Turnbull beat Alejandro Kirk and escaped.
The Tigers had no outs in the bases loaded seven innings, but were unable to extend their lead.
Sidearmor Adam Cimber forced Nevin into a forceout, and left-handed Tim Maza came in, fending off the threat with another force and flyout.
Detroit eventually added an insurance run in the eighth off of right-hander Anthony Bass. Spencer Torkelson hit a leadoff double and Rodgers scored on the double.
The retractable roof of the Rogers Center opened for two nights in a row. The announced attendance was 26,192 for him and the game took him 2 hours and 53 minutes to play.
late scratch
Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman has been ruled out of Toronto’s starting lineup due to a viral illness.
The team announced the change about 30 minutes before the first pitch. He was replaced by Santiago Espinal.
Schneider said Chapman is battling stomach bugs and can return on Friday.
500 club
Before the game, Tigers great Miguel Cabrera was presented with a retirement keepsake of a framed photo taken on the day he hit his 500th home run.
Cabrera reaches plateau at Rogers Center in August 2021. He was the first Tiger to join his 500 club and became his 28th big leaguer to accomplish the feat.
tea time
Blue Jays frontrunner lefty Ricky Tiedemann made an impressive season debut on Thursday for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher-Cats.
He allowed two hits in three scoreless innings and struck out all nine outs. Tiedemann started the season on the disabled list with a sore left shoulder.
it’s coming
The undefeated Tampa Bay Rays (13-0) begin a three-game series against Toronto on Friday night.
Drew Rasmussen (2-0, 0.00 ERA) was scheduled to start in the opening game against Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios (0-2, 11.17 seconds).
This report by the Canadian Press was first published on April 13, 2023.
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© 2023 The Canadian Press
