The rubber match of a three-game weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays took place on a sunny, summer-like Sunday afternoon in Detroit. Alas, the Tigers dropped the finale and thus the series by a 4-1 score.
Jack Flaherty made his tenth start for the Tigers, and his troubles have been well-documented this season. His troubles can begin with a lack of control, putting hitters on via hit or walk, and then he loses his concentration and all hell breaks loose. He needs to be able to re-focus when
he gets rattled; anyone who’s ever played baseball knows how big the mental side of the game is. As Yogi Berra once observed, “Baseball is ninety percent mental; the other half is physical.”
The veteran Kevin Gausman made his tenth start for Toronto today. He’s been his normal, dependable self; in his fifth season in Toronto he’s consistenly turned out seasons with a 3-4 ERA, roughly 180 innings pitched, a WHIP of about 1.1, and about one home run surrendered per nine innings. You could set your watch by this guy.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has been in a massive slump, laser-beamed a too-inside fastball over the left field fence for a 1-0 Toronto lead with one out in the first. Daulton Varsho followed with a double off the top of the right-field wall, and Jesús Sánchez singled to centre to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch scored Varsho to put Toronto up 2-0, and you really had to wonder if the first inning was going to spiral out of control for Flaherty. But after a flyout pushed Sánchez up to third, Ernie Clement grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
The Blue Jays added another pair of runs in the top of the third: Guerrero singled, scored on a Varsho triple, who then scored on a Sánchez sacrifice fly. When the dust settled it was 4-0.
Aside from dealing with Guerrero and Varsho, though, Flaherty was actually pretty good today; his final inning saw him get a couple of flyouts and a strikeout. His final line: 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 K. Notably, he didn’t walk anyone; while his command certainly wasn’t as crisp as it could’ve been, not walking anyone was a big step up.
The Tigers couldn’t get a lot going on offence while Flaherty was pitching, though: there were some singles scattered around, but getting a runner past first base proved to be too much of a challenge. For example: in the sixth, Dillon Dingler got his second hit of the day, a single to centre with one out. But then Colt Keith flew out and Riley Greene struck out, and that was that.
Burch Smith relieved Flaherty in the seventh, and he gave up a harmless single to Davis Schneider but that was all. He carried on to the eighth and got Guerrero to fly out, and Enmanel De Jesus took over to face Varsho, the lefty, who he walked. A pair of flyouts ended the inning, though.
The Tigers got their first runner past first base in the bottom of the eighth: Wenceel Pérez led off with a single, and with one out Kevin McGonigle singled, putting runners on the corners. Dingler walked to load the bases, and Jahmai Jones was called-upon to pinch hit, and he hit a slow grounder to third base; Clement got one out at second but it was hit too slowly for a double play, allowing a run to score to make it 4-1 with two out.
Alas, Greene then grounded out to second and the side was retired. That was a big-league squander, for sure.
De Jesus carried on into the ninth and got a pair of quick outs; Brandon Valenzuela singled up the middle, but Schneider grounded out to second for the third out.
Submariner Tyler Rogers came on for Toronto in the ninth. I was once watching a minor-league game and a submariner came into the game; I watched him warm up and thought to myself, “How in the world does anyone get a hit off someone like this?” Well, on the first pitch he threw to a batter he cracked a home run, so clearly I don’t know anything about anything. Anyway, on this particular afternoon, Matt Vierling walked, and a Gage Workman grounder to shortstop was initially called a double play but upon review was just a forceout at second. But Zach McKinstry flew out to centre for the second out, and Torkelson struck out looking to end the game.
On Monday the Tigers travel to Cleveland to start a four-game series with the team that currently leads the American League Central, which looks these days like a division that’s allergic to winning records.
Final score: Blue Jays 4, Tigers 1
Notes and Commemorations
- Ty Madden, who was hit on the forearm on a comebacker Friday night, was placed on the Injured List; Will Vest returned to the Tigers in his place.
- As has been the case all weekend, there were plenty of Blue Jays fans that made the trip down the 401 to Detroit to see their team play on real grass. Me, I always go down the 402 instead and cross at Port Huron, because that London-to-Windsor stretch on the 401 is easily the most boring stretch of highway on the continent.
- This weekend in Canada is the Victoria Day long weekend, in which we celebrate the birthday of a monarch who’s been dead for 125 years. Her birthday was May 24; the holiday is celebrated on the Monday in May which is either on, or just before, May 24th. It’s the unofficial start of the summer season in Canada: there are fireworks, trips to the cottage, and ritualistic animal sacrifices all across the country. It’s great.
