Justin Smoak isn’t a fan of extra innings Authentic Justin Jones Jersey , so he was doubly happy about his game-winning homer against the slumping Detroit Tigers.
Smoak
led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run and the Toronto Blue
Jays beat Detroit 4-3 on Saturday, handing the Tigers their 11th
straight loss.
”Honestly, nobody wants to play extra
innings,” Smoak said. ”To be able to do it in the ninth and get it over
with is always a good feeling.”
This is Detroit’s longest
losing streak since an 11-game skid in August 2003, the year the Tigers
lost 119 times. The Tigers last lost 12 straight in 1996.
Three of Detroit’s 11 defeats, including the past two, have been one-run losses. The Tigers are 13-13 in one-run decisions.
”There’s
things we can do better but we’re not playing bad,” Tigers starter Matt
Boyd said. ”It may seem dire, but it’s not. We’re close to where we
want to be and we’re going to come out on the other end of this.”
Smoak
connected against reliever Joe Jimenez (3-1) for his 11th homer of the
season. It was the second walk-off drive of his career, with the other
coming in 2016 against Texas.
Smoak, who hit a two-run homer in Friday’s 3-2 win, has gone deep in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
”I’m just trying to be aggressive and it’s been better as of late,” he said.
Seunghwan Oh (4-2) worked one inning for the win. Randal Grichuk also homered for the Blue Jays, who have won 10 of 11 at home.
John
Hicks hit a solo homer in the Detroit second off Sam Gaviglio and Nick
Castellanos made it 3-0 with a two-run shot in the third, his 12th.
Boyd
held the Blue Jays hitless until Kevin Pillar’s leadoff double in the
fifth. Pillar moved to third on a one-out single by Aledmys Diaz and
scored on a groundout by Devon Travis before Grichuk hit his tying
homer.
”He was leaving the ball up just a little too much where they could get the bat head to it,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Boyd allowed three runs and four hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
”I made a few mistakes today and one of them went over the fence,” Boyd said.
Gaviglio gave up three runs and four hits in seven innings, matching his longest outing of the season.
Leonys
Martin and Castellanos hit consecutive singles off Joe Biagini in the
eighth but the Blue Jays right-hander retired the next three batters in
order.
”We had runners in position a couple of times,” Gardenhire said. ”We just didn’t come up with the big one.”
Martin
helped preserve the 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth by throwing out
Travis at home plate. Travis was trying to score from second on
Yangervis Solarte’s single to center Authentic Kyzir White Jersey ,
but couldn’t beat Martin’s one-hop throw. The assist was Martin’s
ninth, tying him with Seattle’s Mitch Haniger for the AL lead.
With
a heat alert in place for Toronto, the retractable roof at Rogers
Centre was kept closed. The outdoor temperature was 88 degrees, with
high humidity making it feel like 106.
CAGED TIGERS
Detroit has lost 12 of 14 in Toronto.
CRIME DOESN’T PAY
Blue
Jays C Luke Maile threw out two runners attempting to steal, both at
second base. Maile threw out Jeimer Candelario in the first and Grayson
Greiner in the seventh.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers:
RHP Alex Wilson had to leave in the eighth because of a sore left calf.
Wilson missed almost a month earlier this season because of a strain in
his left foot. … RHP Drew VerHagen (nasal fracture) will join Triple A
Toledo Saturday night to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment.
VerHagen has been out since June 20.
Blue Jays: Toronto put RHP Ryan Tepera (elbow) on the 10-day disabled list and recalled RHP Jake Petricka from Triple-A Buffalo.
UP NEXT
Tigers
RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2-0, 4.35) faces Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ (10-3,
3.62) on Canada Day in Toronto. Zimmermann allowed seven runs in his
previous start against Toronto on June 8, 2016. Happ has won six
straight decisions and is unbeaten in eight outings.
—
Something about the big moments brings out the best in Mitch Haniger.
His
two-run home run in the ninth on Wednesday, after a stellar defensive
play in the top of the inning, gave the Seattle Mariners an 8-6 victory
and sweep of the three-game series over the Los Angeles Angels.
”We
have such a powerful lineup,” Haniger said. ”On any given night it can
be somebody else and that’s kind of the vibe. There’s no panic.”
Haniger,
who has 16 home runs this season and 52 RBIs, has an MLB-best 11
game-winning hits – including his second game-ending homer on Wednesday.
After
Jean Segura singled to center off reliever Oliver Drake (0-1), Haniger
sent a pitch over the left-field wall off to end it.
Nelson
Cruz and Ryon Healy also homered for Seattle, and Healy’s upper-deck
shot in the eighth inning tied the game at 6-6. Cruz hit a two-run homer
in the second inning, his fourth in his last five games and 16th of the
season.
The home run by Haniger, who was 2-for-5 and
scored two runs, was his second big play of the ninth inning. He also
made an outstanding defensive play in right field for the second
consecutive game.
With one out and a runner at first, Martin Maldonado hit fly ball to deep right that was tailing away from Haniger. However Authentic Kalen Ballage Jersey ,
he raced to make the catch before throwing it on the fly to Healy in
the infield. Healy ran to first to double off Jabari Blash, who was
pinch running for Albert Pujols.
The Mariners have won six
of their last seven games and 11 of their last 13. Roenis Elias (2-0)
earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, and Seattle starter
Marco Gonzales allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings.
Wednesday’s game had plenty of drama – including two times when the game was tied and two lead changes.
”I don’t know where to start with this game,” said Seattle manager Scott Servais. ”It had a little bit of everything in it.”
Seattle
built a 4-1 lead in the third inning and led 4-3 before the Angels came
back to tie it in sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Luis Valbuena.
Home runs by Nolan Fontana and Chris Young gave the Angels a 6-4 lead in
the seventh.
The Angels had won six consecutive games before coming to Seattle.
”It
says a lot the way our guys came back,” Los Angeles manager Mike
Scioscia said. ”But unfortunately it was one of those days when our
bullpen was stretched a bit after having to use them a lot, and we
couldn’t get it done at the end.”
INJURED ANGELS
Angels
starting pitcher Garrett Richards left the game after two innings
because of tightness in his left hamstring. Shortstop Zack Cozart left
the game in the fourth inning because of a left shoulder strain.
SEAGER SCRATCHED
Seattle
third baseman Kyle Seager was a late scratch from the starting lineup
Wednesday, but he is not injured. Mariners officials said it was a
personal issue, and Andrew Romine started at third in his place.
SERVAIS’ NEW LOOK
Before
the season started, Servais said he would get a haircut just like Edwin
Diaz if the closer reached 50 saves this season. Diaz, who has a Z-like
symbol shaved into the left side of his head, already has an MLB-best
25 saves this season and is on pace to reach 55 saves. ”I’m aware,”
Servais said. ”I’m already talking to barbers. I’m OK with that.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: OF Kole Calhoun (oblique strain) started a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Mariners:
RHP Nick Vincent (groin strain) and RHP Juan Nicasio (knee swelling)
both are expected to throw in the bullpen Friday on Saturday. Servais
said he hopes both relievers can come of the 10-day DL by the middle up
the upcoming 10-day road trip that starts in New York against the
Yankees on June 19.
UP NEXT
Angels: LHP
Tyler Skaggs (5-4, 3.08) tries to continue his June hot streak when the
Angels play the Athletics on Friday in Oakland. Skaggs is 2-0 with a
0.69 ERA in his previous two starts this month. Trevor Cahill (1-2,
2.27) is expected to start for Oakland.
Mariners: Felix
Hernandez (6-5, 5.70) is on the mound to start a four-game home series
against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Hernandez is coming off his
shortest outing of the season when he took the loss at Tampa Bay,
allowing five earned runs on seven hits in the 7-3 loss. David Price
(7-4, 4.00) is the expected starter for Boston.
—