TORONTO – Spencer Turnbull threw five strong innings and the Detroit Tigers ended a six-game losing skid with a 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night.
It was the first home loss of the regular season for the Blue Jays, who have dropped just two of their last nine games.
Toronto (8-5), which opened the campaign with a 10-game road trip, was looking to complete a three-game sweep.
Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt (1-2) allowed two earned runs and four hits over his six-inning appearance. He had seven strikeouts and issued three walks.
Turnbull (1-2) gave up six hits, one earned run and a walk. He had six strikeouts.
Chasen Shreve, Jason Foley and Jose Cisnero each threw an inning of relief ahead of Alex Lange, who worked a clean ninth for his first save.
The Blue Jays outhit the Tigers 8-7.
Toronto caught a break to end the second inning when Detroit’s Javier Baez was easily doubled off at second base. He was pulled from the lineup in the next frame.
Baez, who had started trotting to third base, didn’t realize Akil Baddoo’s fly ball was only the second out. Baez was later replaced by Jonathan Schoop and Nick Maton moved from third base to shortstop.
Each team scored a run in the third as Jake Rogers came home on a Tyler Nevin sacrifice fly. In the bottom half, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. delivered an RBI single that plated Cavan Biggio.
Detroit (3-9) regained the lead in the fifth inning when Zach McKinstry hit a gapper that brought home Baddoo, who led off with a walk. McKinstry took third base on a grounder but Bassitt kept him there by fanning Maton and Nevin.
The Blue Jays put runners in scoring position in the bottom half. George Springer and Bo Bichette singled and advanced on a Daulton Varsho grounder but Turnbull escaped by striking out Alejandro Kirk.
The Tigers loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh but couldn’t pad their lead.
Sidearmer Adam Cimber got Nevin to ground into a forceout and left-hander Tim Mayza came on and snuffed the threat with another force and a flyout.
Detroit finally added an insurance run in the eighth off right-hander Anthony Bass. Spencer Torkelson hit a leadoff double and scored on a double by Jake Rogers.
The retractable roof at Rogers Centre was open for the second straight night. Announced attendance was 26,192 and the game took two hours 53 minutes to play.
LATE SCRATCH
Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman was scratched from Toronto’s starting lineup due to a viral illness.
The team announced the change about a half-hour before first pitch. He was replaced by Santiago Espinal.
500 CLUB
Before the game, Tigers great Miguel Cabrera was presented with a retirement gift of framed photos taken on the day he hit his 500th career home run.
Cabrera reached the plateau in August 2021 at Rogers Centre. He became the first Tiger to join the 500-club and the 28th big-leaguer to accomplish the feat.
TEE TIME
Left-hander Ricky Tiedemann, the Blue Jays’ top prospect, made an impressive season debut with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Thursday.
He allowed two hits over three scoreless innings and all nine outs were strikeouts. Tiedemann started the season on the injured list with left shoulder soreness.
COMING UP
The unbeaten Tampa Bay Rays (13-0) will kick off a three-game series on Friday night against Toronto.
Drew Rasmussen (2-0, 0.00 earned-run average) was scheduled to start the opener against Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios (0-2, 11.17).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2023.
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