DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:
TIGERS DROP SERIES FINALE TO BOSTON: The Tigers lost their fourth straight game on Sunday, falling to Boston, 4-1. Spencer Torkelson had a pair of hits and drove in a run, while Akil Baddoo and Javier Báez each added two hits. Matthew Boyd started for Detroit and took the loss,
allowing two runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Jason Foley struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings of relief, while Trey Wingenter pitched a perfect inning with one punchout.
YABBA-DABBA-BADDOO: Akil Baddoo had a pair of hits, including a double, in Sunday’s game against the Red Sox, marking his second straight multi-hit game since being recalled from Triple A Toledo. Baddoo has hit safely in seven of nine-games between Detroit and Toledo this season,
going 13×38 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI.
EXTRA, EXTRA: Miguel Cabrera hit a double in the ninth inning of Sunday’s game. The two-bagger was the 609th of his career and his 1,133rd career extra-base hit. Cabrera is now one extra-base hit away from tying Tris Speaker for 16th on the MLB all-time list.
MLB All-Time Extra-Base Hits List
Rank Player XBH
- Carl Yastrzemski 1,157
- Adrian Beltre 1,151
- Ty Cobb 1,138
- Tris Speaker 1,134
- Miguel Cabrera 1,133
A GLOVE STORY: The Tigers have been one of the best defensive teams in baseball, according to Sports Info Solution’s Defensive Runs Saved metric. As a team, Detroit is a +6 defensive runs saved, which is tied with Toronto for the second-best in the American League and tied for fifth in the Majors. Individually, Javier Báez is tied for fifth among big league shortstops with +2 defensive runs saved, while Eric Haase is tied for second among Major League leftfielders with +2 defensive runs saved.
MLB Team Defensive Runs Saved Leaderboard
Rank Team DRS
- Milwaukee +10
- Seattle +8
Arizona +8 - New York (NL) +7
- DETROIT +6
Toronto +6
TIGERS AND BLUE JAYS: The Tigers and Blue Jays begin their six-game season series tonight at Rogers Centre. Detroit went 2-5 against the Blue Jays last season, including dropping three-of-four games in Toronto.
ON THE ROAD: The Tigers tonight begin their second road trip of the season. Detroit went 2-4 on its first road trip, going 0-3 at Tampa Bay and 2-1 at Houston, The Tigers went 30-50 on the road last season, their fifth straight 162-game season with a losing record away from Detroit.
TIGERS ON THE IL:
• RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 15-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
• RHP Michael Lorenzen (left groin strain, 15- day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
• OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 10-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60- day IL on March 27)
• LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)
TONIGHT’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – Matt Manning • 1-0, 3.18 ERA (5.2IP/2ER)
• Manning will make his second start of the season tonight in the series opener at Toronto.
• Picked up the win in his season debut on Wednesday at Houston, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
• Has faced the Blue Jays just once in his career, receiving a no decision on August 27, 2021 after tossing 6.0 innings and allowing one run
on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts…tonight marks his first career appearance at Rogers Centre.
• Was limited to 12 starts during the 2022 season after missing much of the season due to injury…went 2-3 with a 3.43 ERA (63.0IP/24ER)
and 48 strikeouts in 12 starts.
• Turned in the longest outing of his career on August 7 vs. Tampa Bay, throwing 7.0 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts…set a career-high with eight punchouts in 6.0 shutout frames on August 24 vs. San Francisco.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays clawed back from a six-run deficit and then traded blows with the Angels before ultimately escaping with a 12-11 win in 10 innings on Sunday… Are 1-0 in extras to start the year (8-7 in 2022), and are up to 3-0 in one-run contests…Their 33 one-run wins since 2022 are 2nd most in MLB (SEA – 35). Toronto is now 1-1 in rubber games while improving to 2-1-0 in series play…Wrapped up its road trip to St. Louis, Kansas City, and Anaheim at 6-4.
NO PLACE LIKE DOME: Toronto has gone 28-18 in Home Openers so far (17-14 at Rogers Centre)…Have won two of their last three such contests after losing each of the previous eight…Edged Miami, 5-4, in 10 innings in 2020 at Sahlen Field and came back from a seven-run deficit to top Texas, 10-8, last April.
LITERALLY THE BEST: Matt Chapman got Toronto on the board on Sunday with a 6th-inning grand slam to make it a 6-4 contest… Was his 1st career grand slam and his 2nd home run in as many days, going deep in consecutive contests for the 20th time in his career (4x in 2022). The third baseman also gave Toronto a 7-6 lead in the 7th with an RBI single…The five RBI were one shy of a career mark and his most in a game since Aug. 10, 2020 at LAA (6 RBI)…Finished 3-for-5 on the day for his MLB-leading 4th three-hit game of the season… Is now batting .475 (19-for-40) with seven doubles, four walks, and 14 RBI for a 1.323 OPS through 10 games…Currently leads MLB in hits and is tied for the MLB lead in doubles while sitting 2nd in extra-base hits and T-2nd in RBI…Among AL batters, also ranks 1st in AVG, 2nd in SLG (.800), OPS, OBP (.523), and total bases (32)…Has an average exit velocity of 99.6 MPH, the highest in MLB (2nd: J.D. Martinez – 98.5). The 29-year-old was also named AL Player of the Week yesterday, his 1st career weekly nod…Led AL batters with 12 RBI and 24 total bases as he went 13-for-28 (.464) with five doubles, two homers, three walks, and five runs scored (.516 OBP, .857 SLG).
THE HITS KEEP FLOWING: Bo Bichette singled and was hit by a pitch as he finished with a 1-for-5 day….Has hits in all but one of the 10 games so far, going 17-for-47 (.362) with two doubles, three homers, eight RBI, and nine runs scored (T-6th in the AL)…The 17 hits are 3rd most in the AL (T-5th in MLB) while his 28 total bases are tied for 4th and his .362 AVG ranks 6th.
DOING VLAD THINGS: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled twice and was hit by a pitch on Sunday…Has reached base safely in every game this season, now 18-for-41 with a double, two homers, six RBI, and a 5BB/3K ratio for a .439 AVG (3rd in the AL), a .510 OBP (4th) and a 1.120 OPS (5th)…The 18 hits are currently 2nd most in the majors. The 24-year-old has recorded 22 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this year, one back of teammate Matt Chapman for the most in MLB…Recorded 265 hard-hit balls over the course of last season, the most in the Majors (2nd: José Abreu – 256).
HOME SWEET DOME: The Blue Jays are ready for their 1st home action of the 2023 campaign…Are the final team to play a game at home…Their .580 win% (47-34) at home last season ranked 4th in the AL. Toronto batters finished 2nd in the AL in 2022 in home AVG (.261), 4th in home OBP (.326), 4th in home SLG (.434), and 4th in home OPS (.760)…The pitching staff posted a 4.04 ERA during home contests (10th in the AL) with a .248 opponents’ AVG (11th) and a 1.23 WHIP (8th).
FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP: Kevin Kiermaier recorded a single, double, and a triple on Sunday as he went 3-for-5 while driving in five runs…Became the 3rd nine hitter in team history with a three-hit, five RBI day, joining J.P. Arencibia (April 1, 2011 vs. MIN) and Danny Jansen (July 22, 2022 at BOS). The centerfielder is now 12-for-30 (.400) while recording hits in each of his seven games with an at-bat to start his Blue Jays career…His 12 hits while batting 9th are the most in the Majors (2nd: Orlando Arcia – 9).
OPENS SEASON: Alek Manoah will make his 3rd start of the season, coming off 7.0 scoreless innings on April 5 at KC… Also kicked off this 2023 campaign with his 1st career Season Opening start on March 30 at STL…Is now the 5th pitcher in team history to pitch the club’s Season Opener and then their Home Opener, joining Jim Clancy (1981), Jimmy Key (1989), Marcus Stroman (2016), and Hyun Jin Ryu (2020).
HITTING IT: The Blue Jays are leading the Majors in team AVG (.288)…Have notched 106 hits so far, trailing only the White Sox (113 in 11 games) for the most in MLB… Currently rank 2nd in the AL in OBP (.352) while sitting 3rd in OPS and 6th in SLG (.421)…Have homered in each of the last seven games after going homerless in their first three.
MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE TEAM: The Blue Jays led the Majors in 2022 with a .264 team batting average and 1,464 hits…Also led the AL in OBP (.329), SLG (.431), and OPS (.760) while ranked T-1st in extra-base hits (519), 2nd in runs (775), 2nd in doubles (307), and 3rd in home runs (200)…Topped the AL in AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS for the 1st time in team history.
VS. THE TIGERS: All-Time: 241-205
2022: 5-2 Home: 130-96
Home: 3-1 Rogers Centre: 93-56
The Blue Jays went 5-2 vs. the Tigers last season while outscoring them, 33-15…Took three of the four games here at Rogers Centre last July…Are undefeated in season series vs. Detroit since 2019 (12-8). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded hits in all seven games vs. the Tigers last season, going 9-for-26 (.346) with three doubles, a home run, and four RBI…In 16 career meetings, is batting .333 (21-for-63) with four
doubles, three home runs, and 11 RBI (.948 OPS). Matt Chapman played in five games against Detroit in 2023 and managed to connect for four home runs and six RBI (1.063 SLG)…Is a lifetime 21-for-94 (.223) with a pair of doubles, two triples, 11 homers, and 19 RBI (.975 OPS).
Whit Merrifield leads all current Blue Jays with 101 games played vs. the Tigers…Has batted .333 (138- for-414) against his former division rival, including 35 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, and 50 RBI (.903 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – Alek Manoah, RHP #6
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 3rd start of the season…Earned his 1st win of the year his last time out on 4/5 at KC, tossing 7.0 frames of one-hit, shutout ball with four walks and five strikeouts.
Has pitched into the 6th inning in each of his last 17 home games, posting a 9-4 record over that stretch with a 2.18 ERA (27 ER/111.2 IP) and a 0.82 WHIP while holding hitters to a .173 average.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Was the Opening Day starter for the Blue Jays on 3/30 at STL…Took a no-decision that day, giving up 5 runs on a career-high 9 hits and 2 walks over 3.1 innings with 3 strikeouts… At 25 years and 80 days old, became the 4th-youngest Opening Day starter in team history (Drew Hutchison – 24.227 in 2015; Todd Stottlemyre – 24.324 in 1990; Marcus Stroman 24.338 in 2016).
2022 HIGHLIGHTS:
His career 1.01 WHIP was the 2nd lowest all-time by an AL pitcher in his first two big league seasons, trailing only Walter Johnson’s 0.98 mark in 1907-1908 (min. 40 starts)…courtesy Stats Perform.
Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting, behind only Houston’s Justin Verlander and Chicago’s Dylan Cease.
Named an All-Star for the 1st time in his career…Pitched a scoreless 2nd inning in the Midsummer Classic, notching 3 punchouts and a hit batter on 18 pitches (13 strikes)…Joined Dave Stieb as the only pitchers in franchise history to strike out at least 3 batters in a single All-Star Game (Stieb – 4K in 1983).
Ranked 3rd among qualified AL pitchers in both ERA (2.24) and wins (16)…Also ranked 4th in the AL in innings pitched (196.2), 4th in WHIP (0.99), and 5th in opponent batting average (.202)…Became the 6th AL pitcher since 1920 to turn in a sub-1.00 WHIP under age 25…His 0.99
WHIP was the best in team history (2nd: Roger Clemens – 1.03 in 1997) while his 2.24 ERA ranked 2nd (1st: Clemens – 2.05 in 1997).
His 25 quality starts tied with Yu Darvish for 2nd most in the Majors, trailing only Framber Valdez’s 26.
Held right-handed hitters to a .159 AVG, 2nd best in the AL (3rd in MLB).
Won his 8th game of the year on 6/13 vs. BAL, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings while giving up a hit and a walk and 7 strikeouts…Became the 7th player in the modern era (since 1901) to win at least 17 of his first 20 career decisions as a starter (17-3), and the first since Vida Blue went 17-3 from 1969-1971.
icked up his 11th win on 7/23 at BOS, throwing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 7 hits, no walks, and 7 strikeouts…Earned his 20th win in his 39th career game, becoming the 2nd-fastest in Blue Jays history to reach the mark (1st: Juan Guzman – 38 games).
Earned his 15th win on 9/24 at TB…Tossed 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts…His 303 strikeouts were the most in franchise history by a player in his first 50 career games (2nd: Juan Guzmán – 279).
Made his 1st career postseason start in Game 1 of the ALWC vs. SEA on 10/7…Was the 7th Blue Jay pitcher under the age of 25 to make a postseason start, and the 1st since Aaron Sanchez in Game 4 of the 2016 ALCS vs. CLE (10/18/16)…Gave up 4ER on 4H and a walk over 5.2 IP.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
In 2021, led MLB rookies (min. 10 starts) in WHIP (1.05), AVG (.192), and opponents’ OPS (.604), while 2nd in ERA, 3rd in K rate (27.7%) and 4th in SO/9 (10.24)…Became the 4th pitcher aged 23 or younger to average at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings in his debut season, joining Mark Prior (2002), Kerry Wood (1998) and Dwight Gooden (1984).
Named AL Rookie of the Month for Sept./Oct. 2021, going 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 37.1 innings (six starts)…Was the the first Blue Jay to win the award since Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in July of 2018, and the first Toronto pitcher since Scott Richmond in April of 2009. Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round (11th overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft.
VS. THE TIGERS:
Facing the Tigers for the 3rd time in his career…Allowed 4 runs over 5.1 innings in his only meeting with Detroit last season on 7/29 at Rogers Centre (7H, BB, 4K)…His only other start vs. DET came on 8/28/21 at Comerica Park, where he tossed 6.1 frames of two-run ball (4H, 0BB, 8K)…Has faced 48 Detroit batters in his career, giving up one home run and walking just one batter while striking out 12.
