Detroit Tigers vs Toronto Blue Jays Game Preview: 6/5/14

Jun 4, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder

Jose Bautista

(19) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Toronto won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers (31-24) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (36-24) — 1:08 PM EDT

Comerica Park — Detroit, MI

TV: Fox Sports Detroit, MLB Network

Radio: 97.1 The Ticket (click for radio affiliates)

Weather: 72 degrees, clear

Looking to avoid the sweep at the hands of the surging Toronto Blue Jays, the Detroit Tigers will turn to Justin Verlander hoping he can be the stopper and ace that he has been for a number of years. The Tigers’ four-game losing streak has been a costly one as the second-place Chicago White Sox have pulled within three games of first-place Detroit.

When We Last Met

Rick Porcello pitched pretty well, limiting the high-octane Blue Jays offense to three runs over seven innings, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of several chances, including scoring no runs after filling the bases with no outs in the sixth inning. The Blue Jays rallied for five more runs against the Tigers bullpen and Detroit lost again, 8-2.

Pitching Matchup

Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

These days, it’s not entirely sure which Verlander (6-4, 3.99) the Tigers will see in action. Justin bounced back very nicely in his last outing–also the last time the Tigers won a game. He went 7 2/3 of seven hit, three-run ball. Verlander’s pitch speed was up in the mid-90’s and struck out seven batters, his most K’s in nearly a month. JV faced Toronto for one game last year and was brilliant in picking up the win. He went seven innings and allowed no runs.

Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Blue Jays’ starter J.A. Happ (4-2, 4.10) is coming off his worst start of the season when he allowed six runs on nine hits in just under eight innings of work of a 6-1 loss to Kansas City last Friday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the left hander, and followed his best outing of the season where he shut out Oakland through seven innings on May 25. Happ did not face Detroit a year ago.