(Toronto) Whit Merrifield homered and drove in four runs to help the Toronto Blue Jays thrash the Detroit Tigers 12-2 on Friday night for their fourth straight win.
The Torontonians improved to 15-5 this season against teams in the AL Central Division while the Tigers slipped to 2-15 against teams in the AL East Division.
George Springer added a long ball and three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who sent 10 batters at bat in a six-run fourth inning and 11 batters at the plate in a five-run ninth inning. Kevin Kiermaier had four hits.
“The offense was very good tonight,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. George got the ball rolling with a big home run early in the game and Whit capped it off at the end. »
Alek Manoah (2-7) won for the first time since April 5, allowing one run and five hits in six innings of work. Manoah, who saw his 11-start winless streak kick off against the Tigers on April 11, struck out eight opponents.
“I’ve been looking forward to this start for a long time,” said Manoah, who started a Level AA game in New Hampshire on Sunday in an attempt to correct his shooting control issues. It feels good. I’m excited about the steps forward I’ve taken in the past month and look forward to building on them. »
The Blue Jays starter had 19 strikes on the first pitch to 23 batters, which is a career-best 82.6 percentage point.
“We saw that when he worked in Florida and New Hampshire,” Schneider said. I’m very proud of the way he handled things and the work he did to get back here. »
Alex Faedo (1-5) suffered the loss in his first start since June 2. He allowed seven runs in three and two-thirds innings in his return from a finger injury.
“I thought there were a lot of pros and cons,” Faedo said. I thought the first three runs were good, but the fourth came. You have to be able to contain the damage in a round like this. »
The Blue Jays took the lead in the third inning. Kiermaier hit a single after two outs and Springer followed with a one-run double.
Spencer Torkelson’s one-run single tied the game in the third, but the visitors responded with six runs in the fourth.
The Torontonians filled the trails after a single and two walks. Merrifield gave the team a 2-1 lead with a single run. Daulton Varsho was struck out on a fly, but Danny Jansen hit a two-run double.
Kiermaier’s ground ball gave the Blue Jays a four-run lead and Springer’s homer extended the lead to 7-1.
“I think I pitched the same way on the second at bat,” Faedo said. I will watch the video and check if I need to work on it. »
Matt Vierling’s third single put the Tigers 7-2 up in the eighth inning, but Merrifield capped a five-run ninth inning by hitting a three-run homer. Tigers utility player Zack Short allowed a run, but he still got the last three outs.
“They showed a good approach and we didn’t respond,” said Tigers player Javier Baez. We have to keep the game tight. »