The Detroit Tigers secured a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the Rogers Centre. The Tigers’ offense came alive in the sixth inning, capped off by Jake Rogers’ grand slam, which proved to be the decisive blow in the game.
The Tigers got off to a strong start in the fifth inning, taking a 1-0 lead after Andy Ibanez drove in a run with a double. However, it was in the sixth inning where the Tigers truly broke the game open. After loading the bases with none out, Rogers stepped up and launched a grand slam off Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. This marked Rogers’ third career grand slam and his seventh home run of the season.
Following the grand slam, the Tigers continued to pile on the runs. Javier Baez and Gio Urshela added singles, and Ibanez contributed another RBI with a single of his own. The Tigers took advantage of a wild pitch and solid hitting to extend their lead further in the sixth inning.
The Blue Jays did not go down without a fight, as they managed to score three runs in the sixth inning against Tigers starter Kenta Maeda. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led the charge with a two-run homer, his 16th of the season and third in three games. However, the Blue Jays’ efforts were not enough to overcome the Tigers’ offensive outburst.
On the pitching side, Tigers reliever Tyler Holton turned in a strong performance, allowing just one hit and striking out three over two innings. Shelby Miller closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning to secure the win for the Tigers.
In other news, the Blue Jays made a roster move prior to the game, placing shortstop Bo Bichette on the injured list with a right calf strain and recalling utility player Addison Barger from Triple-A Buffalo.
With the win, the Tigers extended their winning streak to four games and will look to complete the series sweep against the Blue Jays in the final game of the series.
