Blue Jays mow down the Tigers in Motown with stunning proficiency

Article content

Addison Barger got the Aaron Judge treatment on Thursday night in Detroit.

With a runner at third and first base open in the sixth inning of a 1-1 game, the host Detroit Tigers elected to issue an intentional walk to the lefty Barger and play the percentages against right-handed Ernie Clement.

The veteran Blue Jays infielder promptly went deep for a three-run blast off Tigers righty Reese Olson and the floodgates had officially opened.

Joey Loperfido then made it back-to-back homers, en route to an 11-4 victory over the AL Central leaders.

One inning later, Barger showed why intentionally walking him wasn’t a bad idea. The Jays third baseman lashed a two-RBI triple off lefty reliever Dietrich Enns that rolled to the wall in deep right-centre at Comerica Park.

Barger was one many to step up, which has been the Blue Jays way as they make their way to the top of baseball’s pecking order.

With the win, the Jays improved their record to 61-42, which now just happens to be the best in the American League following Houston’s loss to the visiting Athletics on Thursday. The 61 wins are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the most in the majors and they padded their lead atop the East Division to 4.5 games over the idle New York Yankees.

Following are three takeaways from a night the Jays clubbed three home runs (Nathan Lukes added a two-run shot in the eighth) and scored nine runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings to turn it into a romp.

1. Efficiency on the hill

Lefty Eric Lauer was at his efficient best for the Jays, going eight innings and allowing only five hits, including a first-inning home run to Jahmai Jones.

He was dominant after that however, highlighted by a fifth inning in which he required only four pitches to record the three outs.

Lauer didn’t walk a batter in improving his record to 6-2 and lowering his ERA to 2.61.

On a muggy night in Motown, he was lifted after 97 pitches for Chad Green, who after not pitching against the Yankees earlier in the week, showed his rust by giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth.

2. An ode to Ozzy

Nice touch by Tigers starter Olson when he made his appearance to the strains of Paranoid, one of Black Sabbath’s epic metal ballads.

Thursday marked Detroit’s first home game since the all-star break and two days following the death of Ozzy Osbourne, the godfather of heavy metal and Black Sabbath’s front man.

Olson was staked to an early 1-0 lead after Jones hit a solo homer in the first inning, this after the Yankees went deep three times in losing Wednesday night’s series rubber match in Toronto.

Unlike the defence-deficient Yankees, the Tigers made every routine play in the field and the occasional tough out through five shutout innings in support of their starter.

Defence, in the end, wasn’t the issue for the Tigers, when the biggest culprit was the Jays’ unrelenting offence and Lauer.

3. Paper Tigers

On the surface, everything seems to be going well with the Tigers, who entered Thursday’s play with an 8.5-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.

After the club essentially waved the white flag at last year’s trade deadline, the Motowners promptly went on an improbable run that saw them come within one game of advancing to the ALCS.

For much of the 2025 season, Detroit has been among the top teams in baseball.

Adversity struck when the Tigers lost four straight entering the all-star break. Then, when play resumed, Detroit lost two of three against the Texas Rangers and would get swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series.

Needless to say, the Tigers entered their set against the Blue Jays in the throes of their worst stretch of the season having lost nine of their past 10 games heading into Thursday’s series opener.

Like the Blue Jays, the Tigers covet leverage arms in the bullpen as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.

Just prior to the trade clock expiring last season, the Tigers sent starting right-hander Jake Flaherty to the L.A. Dodgers. Flaherty found his way back to the Motor City in the off-season. He has been struggling, which is why the Tigers have been bandied about in rumors, the latest involving Zac Gallen of Arizona and Miami’s Sandy Alcantara.

Up next

Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. with Jose Berrios (6-4, 3.87 ERA) expected to start for the visitors, while Keider Montero (4-2, 4.28 ERA) gets the ball for the Tigers in a battle of right-handers.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com