Detroit Tigers Hold On To Defeat Blue Jays After Sanchez Loses No-No
These days, the Detroit Tigers will take a win any way they can get one.
Coming into Friday night, the Tigers were in danger of falling under .500 for the first time all season, and had looked both listless, as well as unmotivated in three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
That team was not the one that took the field against the Toronto Blue Jays, and for a frustrated fan-base, that was refreshing.
The Tigers set the tone early when Miguel Cabrera singled home Yoenis Cespedes to score a necessary run for a team that needed to get out in front. Their biggest damage, however, was done in the bottom of the fourth when, due to some lackluster defense, Detroit tallied five more runs.
On the night, the Tigers would finish with eight runs, but on this night, offense was not the story. The hero for Detroit was Anibal Sanchez, who carried a no-hitter into the eighth before the former Tiger, Ezequiel Carrera singled to left.
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Ultimately, Sanchez’s line proved to be mediocre, due to a Blue Jays rally, but the 31 year-old was fantastic on a night when they needed him desperately.
However, it was not all good news for Detroit. In the fourth inning where the Tigers busted the game open, they lost Cabrera to a calf strain that will require an MRI, and inspired little optimism in Tigers’ manager Brad Ausmus.
But, while losing Cabrera would obviously be devastating, Detroit should be able to survive his absence, offensively, if J.D. and Victor Martinez each continue to hit at a torrid pace. Against Toronto, the pair registered five hits, scored two runs, and drove in two of their own.
On Saturday afternoon, the two sluggers, and the rest of the Tigers, will look to continue their positive momentum in a 1:08 matchup with the Blue Jays. The contest will pit David Price, who is 7-2 with a 2.62 ERA against R.A Dickey, who is 3-8 with a 4.85 ERA, and will be broadcast on Fox-Sports Detroit, as well as 97.1 The Ticket.