The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t cool off in their first road game since the All-Star break, rolling to an 11-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
The teams will play the second game of a four-game series on Friday night.
Toronto was held scoreless until the sixth, then racked up all of its runs in a three-inning span. The Blue Jays, who had a 10-game winning streak shortly before the break, have won six of seven games since the Mid-Summer Classic.
“These guys have been relentless,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “I’ve heard a lot of talk about us being a gritty team that isn’t sustainable. I think the exact opposite. I think we’re gritty as hell, but I think a lot of the stuff that we’re doing is going to lead to a lot of wins.”
Jose Berrios (6-4, 3.87 ERA), who will start for the Blue Jays on Friday, has a 2-1 record in four July starts despite a 7.11 ERA. He collected a victory on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants despite being charged with four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Berrios was pulled after just three innings in his previous outing, when he allowed four runs and five hits against the Athletics. Before that, he posted eight quality starts in 10 outings.
The veteran right-hander is 7-3 with a 4.23 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against Detroit. He had a no-decision against the Tigers on May 18 after giving up two runs and eight hits in six innings.
Detroit’s Keider Montero (4-2, 4.28 ERA) will make his 15th appearance and ninth start of the season. Montero has gotten plenty of chances to seize the No. 5 spot in the rotation, vacated when prized rookie Jackson Jobe required Tommy John surgery, but hasn’t secured it.
Following a sharp six-inning stint against Tampa Bay on July 7, Montero gave up three runs and five hits in three-plus innings against the Seattle Mariners on July 12. In his first post-All-Star-break outing, Montero allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
The second-year right-hander faced Toronto once last season, surrendering five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Tigers still hold an eight-game lead in the American League Central but they are playing more like cellar-dwellers. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games, including four straight. Detroit is 1-6 since the break, having scored just 13 runs during that span.
The Tigers were limited to a Jahmai Jones solo homer on Thursday until they scored three meaningless runs in the ninth.
The team and its fans were spoiled by a glorious three months, and now the club is dealing with adversity for the first time this season.
“You know, it’s been 11 days, but it feels like it’s been a lot longer, and I think maybe that’s because of the (All-Star) break,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “A lot of it is just the way that baseball is. We can choose to bring that garbage into tomorrow, or we can reset and get back after it.
“I know this team, I know the conversation around it over the last couple weeks. We’ve got to piece it back together.”
–Field Level Media
