TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah allowed four runs in an outing for the third time this season as the Detroit Tigers capitalized on their opportunities before the All-Star pitcher exited in the sixth inning, chased by a comebacker.
The better-than-usual plate appearances were backed up by a solid pitching performance, especially from five relievers out of the bullpen, in the Tigers’ 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays in the second of four games at Rogers Centre.
The Tigers (41-60) did not allow a run after the fourth inning.
“Our bullpen is special,” catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “They’ve shown that all year. They’ve been the steadiest part of our team. I can’t say enough good things about those guys. … They’re all special, man. They really are, and they’re a joy to catch. I’m glad they’re on my team.”
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One of the biggest moments of the game occurred in the bottom of the fourth, when right-handed reliever Will Vest took over for righty starter Bryan Garcia, who was cruising through his first MLB start until a pair of two-out walks led to a go-ahead run for Toronto.
Vest faced Santiago Espinal with runners on the corners.
“He’s got a resilient arm,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He loves to throw, and the more he pitches, the better he gets. He doesn’t tire easily. We’re asking a lot of these guys.”
The Blue Jays were one swing away from adding to a 2-1 lead, but on the first pitch, Espinal grounded out to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Tigers rallied with two outs — Riley Greene (walk), Victor Reyes (single) and Javier Báez (hit-by-pitch) — and were rewarded when Harold Castro ripped Manoah’s sinker to right field for a two-run single and a 3-2 advantage.
From there, the bullpen posted zeroes: Vest in the fifth inning, right-hander Jason Foley in the sixth, righty Joe Jiménez in the seventh, righty Michael Fulmer in the eighth and left-hander Gregory Soto in the ninth.
Foley dominated in the sixth inning against Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Matt Chapman. He struck out Hernandez swinging with a nasty slider and punched out Gurriel looking at a sinker.
“Foley was nasty,” Hinch said. “I mean, electric stuff, turbo sinker, pretty good sliders, swing and miss. They looked very uncomfortable, which was a good sign.”
“I feel like I try not to think about it being a leverage situation,” Foley said. “You go in there and try to pitch your best, whether (the score is) 8-0 or 1-1. Just try to throw the ball over the plate and get outs.”
Jiménez struck out the side in the seventh. All three batters — Ramiel Tapia, Espinal and Zack Collins — were sent down on fastballs. He threw 15 four-seam fastballs, which generated five swings and misses, and three sliders.
Fulmer racked up two strikeouts in the eighth. He struck out Alejandro Kirk, who has a 9.7% strikeout rate and a 10.6% walk rate, by throwing four consecutive sliders at the top of the strike zone.
Soto earned his 19th save.
Jiménez and Fulmer are candidates to be traded before Tuesday’s deadline, though Fulmer is the most likely because he becomes a free agent after this season. Jiménez won’t hit free agency until after the 2023 campaign.
“We put ourselves in this position, to be sellers,” Barnhart said. “If that was one of the last time I caught all those guys in a row like that, it’s been a pleasure. You don’t want to put the cart before the horse. You never know what’s going to happen. But yeah, they’re all special. They make my job really easy. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Doubling up on doubles
As Manoah appeared to settle in, the Tigers responded with back-to-back two-out doubles from Greene and Reyes to tie the game, 1-1, in the third inning.
Three innings later, in the sixth, Manoah exited due to a comebacker off his right elbow. Jonathan Schoop hit the ball with a 92.7 mph exit velocity, and after checking in with the trainer, Manoah left the game.
“You got to be ready to hit but also disciplined enough,” Hinch said. “He sprayed the ball a little bit more than he normally does. We stayed disciplined enough to pile up his pitch count and came up with some big swings.”
Just before Manoah departed, the Tigers tagged him for their fourth run. Willi Castro homered for the second time in as many days, this time on a changeup from one of the best pitchers in the American League, to put the Tigers ahead 4-2.
“This is the player that we want to develop, who can move around the field and contribute offensively,” Hinch said. “He’s becoming a big leaguer more and more every day and a versatile player that I can do multiple things with, and he’s starting to cover multiple pitches. That’s why we’re giving him the at-bats.”
Manoah allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts across 5⅓ innings, throwing 55 of 87 pitches for strikes. The 24-year-old was diagnosed with a right elbow concussion, and precautionary X-rays came back negative.
Reyes finished 3-for-5, while Báez went 2-for-4 in the team’s other multi-hit performance. Greene, Harold Castro, Jeimer Candelario and Willi Castro each posted one hit, and the offense finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Bryan’s hope
In his first MLB start, Garcia allowed two runs on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 3⅔ innings. He threw 68 pitches (38 strikes), the most in a single game in his pro career, and was efficient until two outs in the fourth.
“I felt great from the beginning,” Garcia said. “I was locating my pitches well. Even my misses were misses that I could do something with, planning the next pitch. At the end, I lost my slider a little bit. That’s the most I’ve thrown, so I think I got a little gassed. The fastball felt great, though. It is what it is.”
Garcia walked Gurriel on six pitches, then walked Chapman on six pitches. His final batter, Tapia, made him pay for a hanging slider with an RBI single to put the Blue Jays in front, 2-1. In the second inning, Chapman homered for his third time in two games for a 1-0 lead.
“Our (player development department), those guys have done a good job getting him back in the strike zone and quickened his pace a little bit,” Hinch said. “I don’t know if it’s fair to say he exceeded my expectations, because I think he’s been working his ass off to get an opportunity.”
Garcia used 34 sinkers (50%), 21 sliders (31%) and 13 changeups (19%). He recorded nine swings and misses: two sinkers, three sliders and four changeups. He limited hard contact, as well, with the Blue Jays averaging an 86.3 mph exit velocity.
After Friday’s win, Garcia — added to the roster as a replacement for left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin (restricted list) — was sent back to Triple-A Toledo.
To replace Garcia, the Tigers will activate right-hander Derek Law, who has served as Toledo’s closer this season. The organization needs to make a corresponding 40-man roster move before Saturday’s game.
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