The Toronto Blue Jays are discovering that a killer instinct is still missing from their game. That shortcoming cost them again on Friday night in Detroit, as the Tigers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win the series opener 3-2 on a walk-off single by Spencer Torkelson.
Blue Jays fail to capitalize on Tigers' vulnerability
Several factors favored a Blue Jays victory, but baseball often defies expectations. The Tigers entered the game with a depleted bullpen and an injury-riddled rotation, a situation the Blue Jays know well. That vulnerability increased early when Ty Madden, the Tigers' third reliever of the night, was struck on the forearm by a comebacker off the bat of Yohendrick Pinango just seven pitches into his outing. Madden was forced to leave, and Burch Smith was rushed in with a runner on first and no outs.
The Blue Jays already held a 2-0 lead, courtesy of a two-run double by Andres Gimenez, and seemed poised to add more. However, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. swung on a 3-0 count against Smith, who had just finished his warmup pitches, and popped out weakly to second base. One pitch later, Pinango was picked off first base. Smith then struck out Kazuma Okamoto to escape the inning unscathed.
From that point, the Blue Jays' offense went cold. Starting pitcher Trey Yesavage made the Tigers' hitters look foolish at times but struggled with command of his devastating splitter. Over six innings, he allowed just four hits but walked three and threw three wild pitches. Two of those wild pitches contributed to the Tigers' first run, which was just the second earned run scored against Yesavage all season.
Catcher Brandon Valenzuela endured the brunt of the splitter's unpredictability, repeatedly digging it out of the dirt and blocking one-hoppers that found unprotected areas of his body.
Defensive miscues prove costly
The Tigers' second run came on a Blue Jays error, their 28th of the season, tying them for the fourth-highest total in Major League Baseball. Ernie Clement, usually sure-handed, made a fine fielding play behind second base but rushed his throw to first, allowing Dillon Dingler to reach second base. Riley Greene followed with a double to right field, tying the game at 2-2.
Yesavage finished the inning with a season-high 88 pitches, but the tie meant he would not earn a win.
The Tigers completed the comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Vierling scored from second base on a two-out single by Torkelson to deep right-center field against reliever Jeff Hoffman, who took the loss.
Credit to Tigers bullpen
The Tigers' bullpen deserved full credit for keeping the game close. Burch Smith threw two shutout innings, and Drew Anderson followed with four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. Anderson's performance saved the Tigers' bullpen for the remainder of the series.
The Blue Jays are expected to rely on their own bullpen for Game 2 on Saturday, while the Tigers counter with Casey Mize (2-2, 2.90 ERA). First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. at Comerica Park.
