Tarik Skubal pitched four shutout innings and the Tigers led 3-1 with two outs in the ninth inning, but Alex Lange gave up a walk and a game-tying home run, and Jose Cisnero gave up a run in extra innings to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 victory in the final game before the All-Star break at Comerica Park on Sunday.
Skubal made just his second start of the season for Detroit, the first being a four-inning shutout performance against the Oakland A’s on the fourth of July.
Chris Bassitt, the veteran right-hander from Toledo Ohio took the mound for Toronto.
Whit Merrifield hit a bloop single to lead off the game, ending the Tigers’ no-hit streak in the first inning. Skubal sandwiched a Vlad Guererro walk by striking out Bichette and Matt Chapman, and then got Danny Jansen to ground out to Zach McKinstry at third base for the force out to end the threat.
Spencer Torkelson scorched a line drive off the left-field wall for a two-out double in the bottom half of the first, but Bassit struck out Kerry Carpenter to end the inning.
Skubal struck out Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal to start the second frame, and then got Cavan Biggio to ground out to second for a 1-2-3 inning.
The Tigers got on the board in the bottom half of the second when Javier Baez, Akil Baddoo and Miguel Cabrera singled. The RBI was the 1,861st of his career for Miggy, putting him in 13th place all time. Bassit then got Ibanez to ground out to third base advancing the runners, struck out Eric Haase and got McKinstry to pop out to third base, stranding two runners in scoring position with the Tigers leading 1-0 after two frames.
Merrifield got his second hit of the game with a bounding ball (as Ernie would say) up the middle with one out in the third inning, but was erased on a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Bichette
Riley Greene led off the bottom of the third with a home run to right center field, making it 2-0 Detroit.
Skubal got Guererro on an easy comebacker, walked Chapman on a full count, then struck out Jansen and got Kirk on a pop fly to shallow left field. That was five strikeouts in four innings for the Tigers’ starter. After 63 pitches and four more shutout innings with just the two hits allowed to Merrifield, Skubal was done for the day.
Tyler Holton came on in relief of Skubal in the fifth, retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts. Reese Olson set the Jays down in order in the sixth.
McKinstry led off with a single for the Tigers in the bottom of the fifth and advanced to third on a single into right-center field by Greene. Torkelson singled sharply to the right side scoring Greene, to make it 3- 0 Detroit. If you’re keeping score at home, Riley was then 4 for 5 with two walks three runs scored, and a home run since coming off the injured list on Saturday.
Bassitt was removed with a line of four innings pitched, nine hits, three earned runs no walks and four strikeouts for the day. Trevor Richards came on in relief, working 1 2⁄3 innings, giving up no runs, and one hit, a double to Ibanez. Tim Mayza got the next three outs, and Erik Swanson finished the work for Toronto through the eighth inning.
Olson surrendered the Jays’ first run in two days in the seventh inning, yielding a triple to Chapman who scored on a fielder’s choice ground out to shortstop. That was all the damage in the inning, leaving the Tigers with a 3- 1 lead.
Chasen Shreve gave up a lead-off walk in the eighth, but that was erased on a double play with the assistance of an appeal on the call at first base, and then a pop fly to right field ended the inning.
Baez led off the Tigers’ half of the 8th inning with a single but was erased on an inning-ending double play by Cabrera.
Alex Lange took the mound for the Tigers in the ninth inning. After retiring the first two hitters, he surrendered a walk to Chapman, bringing the tying run to the plate. Danny Jansen hit a two-run homer to tie the score at 3-3. Lange struck out Kirk to end the frame.
The Tigers failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, and Jose Cisnero entered the game with Kirk as the illegitimate runner on second base in the tenth inning. Daulton Varsho hit a sharp grounder to Zack Short at second base, who gunned down the runner at third for the first out. Nathan Lukes entered as a pinch hitter, and he shot a double down the third base line off the wall in left. Baddoo’s relay via Baez was not in time and Toronto led, 4-3.
Kiermayer grounded out to first, with Lukes taking third on the play and two outs. Merrifield grounded out to end the inning.
Jordan Romano came in for the Jays in the bottom of the 10th, with Short starting on second base. Greene grounded out to the pitcher, with Short remaining at second. Torkelson was called out on a check swing for the second out.
The game was aired by Bally’s Detroit with a broadcast crew of “players only” featuring Craig Monroe, Todd Jones, and Dan Petry, who sat in right field to call the game.
The loss leaves the Tigers in third place at the break, with a record of 40-51, five-and-a-half games behind Cleveland in the American League’s central division.
After the All-Star Game on Tuesday, the Tigers will resume action with a three-game series at Seattle, beginning on Friday, July 14.
Don’t forget that the MLB amateur draft is Sunday evening, starting at 7 p.m. EDT. BYB will have news on all the Tigers’ selections.