 got the win despite giving up the tying run in the ninth.With his team leading 2-1 after eight innings, Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire called on Jimenez because regular closer Shane Greene (shoulder) had been placed on the 10-day disabled list before the game. Jimenez loaded the bases with two outs and walked pinch-hitter Justin Smoak on a 3-2 pitch to force in the tying run.Niko Goodrum hit a one-out triple off Seunghwan Oh (4-3) in the 10th and scored the winning run when Iglesias followed with a fly ball to right.After Buck Farmer gave up a leadoff single in the 10th, Blaine Hardy finished for his first career save.Tigers right-hander Mike Fiers pitched a season-high eight innings, but didn't figure in the decision and remains winless in five starts. An efficient Fiers threw just 89 pitches, including 67 strikes. The right-hander allowed one run and three hits. He walked one and struck out five.Nick Castellanos scored two runs and Jeimer Candelario had three hits for the Tigers, who won the season series against the Blue Jays for the first time since 2013. Detroit took four of seven from Toronto this season.Making his second career start, Blue Jays left-hander Ryan Borucki struck out leadoff man Mikie Mahtook, then allowed four straight singles, including a run-scoring hit by Victor Martinez, who delivered his first RBI single since June 15.Borucki recovered to retire the next 13 batters in order, a streak that ended when Maktook reached on an infield single to begin the sixth. Maktook was forced at second on Castellanos' fielder's choice and Candelario singled Castellanos to third before John Hicks delivered the tiebreaking grounder.Borucki allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. The Blue Jays have scored one run in Borucki's 13 big league innings so far.For a third straight day, the roof at Rogers Centre remained closed because of high heat and humidity.Toronto's Kendrys Morales started at first base but moved to third in the 10th, his first career appearance there.TRAINER'S ROOMTigers: Detroit put Greene and OF Leonys Martin (left hamstring) on the 10-day DL. The Tigers recalled Mahtook from Triple-A Toledo and activated LHP Daniel Stumpf off the DL. Martin was injured beating out a bunt single in Sunday's 9-1 win, while Greene felt sore after throwing eight pitches in a scoreless ninth inning Sunday.Blue Jays: Toronto recalled INF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from Triple-A Buffalo. He takes the place of utilityman Darnell Sweeney, who was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo following Sunday's game.UP NEXTTigers: RHP Michael Fulmer (3-7, 4.20) gets the start as Detroit begins a two-game interleague series in Chicago against the Cubs. RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-8, 4.21) starts for the Cubs.Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada (4-7, 4.53) starts the opener of a two-game series against the New York Mets. RHP Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.47) starts for the Mets.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
TICKETSTICKETSRelieved Tigers to finish series at Blue Jays 6h ago• 3 min read TORONTO -- There was a sense of relief in the Detroit Tigers' clubhouse after their 9-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.The victory, propelled by a grand slam from Nicholas Castellanos, a career-best four hits by Niko Goodrum and seven strong innings by starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, ended an 11-game losing streak.It was the Tigers' longest losing streak since Aug. 13-23, 2003. They have not lost 12 in a row since 1996."It's good to hear the music playing out there and guys smiling," Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said.The Tigers have a chance to escape the Rogers Centre with a split in the four-game series by winning the finale on Monday afternoon.The Tigers will start right-hander Mike Fiers (5-4, 4.04 ERA) against Blue Jays left-hander Ryan Borucki (0-1, 3.00).The Tigers had a team meeting before the game."It was just a casual talk," Gardenhire said. "It wasn't this rah-rah (speech). ... I just let them talk and I just said to them, 'Tell me what we need to do.' Some guys spoke up and that's all I wanted to hear. We're playing hard. We've lost 11 in a row up to this point. These guys have been playing, man. They've been in every game. We've had a chance to win a bunch of these games." The Tigers (37-48) were able to put together a five-run fifth inning with a rally that started with two outs against Toronto starter J. A. Happ, who was 6-0 in his previous eight starts. They added two runs in the sixth, also with a rally that began with two out.The losing streak was the longest by two games in the majors this season and the longest since the Los Angeles Dodgers lost 11 in a row last September."We've had our chances over the last 10 or 11 games," Zimmermann said. "It's just a matter of if we're going to cash in when we've got guys in scoring position. We were able to do that today." The Blue Jays (39-44) are expected to trade Happ before the July 31 deadline. When he departed in the sixth inning, the Canada Day crowd gave him an ovation."I did notice, and I certainly appreciate that," Happ said. "Maybe it was appreciation for how the season has gone so far or whatever you might take from it, that's kind of what I took from it. That's a nice feeling, certainly nicer than potentially getting booed, not that I would expect that at all, either." The Tigers face a pitcher who made his major-league debut Tuesday against the Astros in Houston in Borucki. He took the loss after allowing two runs, six hits and four walks in six innings.Fiers pitched seven strong innings Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics, but took the loss despite allowing only one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five.Fiers has faced the Blue Jays six times in his career, five as a starter, and is 1-3 with a 4.11 ERA. He made two starts against Toronto last season and was 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA. In two career starts at the Rogers Centre, Fiers is 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA.The only disappointing news for the Tigers Sunday came from a hamstring injury to center fielder Leonys Martin, who hobbled off the field after a beating out an RBI bunt single in the fifth inning. It was at first announced as a cramp, but Gardenhire said the injury was severe enough to put him on the disabled list. Another player will be brought in for the game Monday.The day was not a complete loss for the Blue Jays. In the ninth inning, center fielder Kevin Pillar made a spectacular leaping catch to rob Castellanos of what would have been his second homer of the day.Gardenhire said even Castellanos appreciated Pillar's catch, although it cost him a homer."That was amazing," Gardenhire said. "That's a long run, to climb the wall like that and make that play, the timing, the whole package that just tells you how special an athlete he is." The teams are 3-3 in the season series.
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Detroit Tigers
Toronto Blue Jays
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (7/2/2018)
LightningPlays
