Still looking for their first win since returning from the MLB All-Star break, the Toronto Blue Jays turn to one of their aces from the starting rotation on Sunday.
Kevin Gausman makes his 20th start of the season in the series finale. He has made 12 career starts against the Tigers, going 3-3 with a 3.22 ERA and is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA against Detroit in one start this season.
So far this season, the Tigers have had the Blue Jays’ number, winning three of four back in May and the first two games of this series.
Detroit will send right-hander Keider Montero, who has a 1-2 record with a 5.47 ERA this season, to go up against Toronto for the first time.
Once again on Saturday, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. provided most of the offence for the Blue Jays with three hits and a two-run home run to push his total to 16 this season and two in this series. He has had a lot of success against the Tigers this season, going 13-for-24 (.542 average) with three doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs.
Guerrero Jr. will get a bit of a rest on Sunday, getting the start at DH, while Justin Turner plays first base.
In Saturday’s loss, the Blue Jays struggled to keep the Tigers offence off the board in the sixth inning with Jake Rogers hitting a grand slam. Kikuchi loaded the bases before getting replaced by reliever Trevor Richards, who would give up the grand slam.
Toronto cut into Detroit’s lead with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning, but Tyler Holton shut things down in the seventh and eighth innings before Shelby Miller pitched a perfect ninth to secure the win.
First pitch of Sunday’s series finale is scheduled for 1:37 p.m. ET / 10:37 a.m. PT with Blue Jays Central previewing the action at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT.
