Smoak flips switch in ninth
Hey, a win is a win, and to those who would diminish the Blue Jays’ walk-off victory over the Tigers because they were playing a bad opponent — get used to it. There are plenty of bad teams in baseball and some will make themselves even worse prior to the trade deadline at the end of July.
On a scorching Saturday afternoon to finish out the month of June, with the roof closed at the Rogers Centre, the Jays rebounded from a three-run deficit early and beat the Tigers 4-3, Detroit’s 11th straight defeat. For the Jays it was their ninth win in the last 14 games and they’re now within four games of .500.
The night before, the Jays had also come back from an early deficit to win. Even though the wild card is a far-off dream, they continue to grind.
“That’s kind of the group in there,” manager John Gibbons said. “That’s one thing you never worry about (giving up). It doesn’t happen all the time, but they play … they play nine innings and it was a good ball game again today.”
Leading off the bottom of the ninth, first baseman Justin Smoak launched a towering blast into the second deck in right-centre field against righthanded reliever Joe Jimenez. It was Smoak’s 11th home run of the year and the 11th extra-base hit among his last 15 safeties. His last three homers have been against Detroit, dating back to the end of June at Comerica Park. June was a struggle.
“Honestly, it’s just about being ready to hit again,” Smoak said. “I went through a time there where I just wasn’t aggressive at times. It kind of got me into a little bit of a funk. Just trying to be aggressive (now) and it’s been better.”
The Tigers used the long ball to build a 3-0 lead after three innings against right-hander Sam Gaviglio. In the second, it was John Hicks driving one into the Jays bullpen to open the scoring. In the third, a two-run homer by Nicholas Castellanos gave former Jays lefty Matt Boyd a three-run advantage.
The Jays got it all back in the fourth inning, with an RBI groundout by Devon Travis followed by a two-run homer from Randal Grichuk, batting in the leadoff spot for the third straight game. It was Grichuk’s 10th homer of the year and eighth since returning from the disabled list and a rehab stint in the minors.
Gaviglio, 28, was not counted on as a big-league starter in training camp, but has done a solid job since filling in for the injured Marcus Stroman and replacing Joe Biagini full-time in the starting five on May19. He worked seven innings against the Tigers, allowing three earned runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts. He struggled through the sixth, stranding runners at the corners. Gibbons sent him out for the seventh even though he had not finished the fifth inning in his previous three starts.
“The offence really helped me out today,” Gaviglio said, sharing the credit. “It was great, especially after my last couple of starts have been fairly short, so it was nice to go seven innings today.”
The Jays have won 10 of their last 11 home games, and the roof is scheduled to be back open on Canada Day Sunday with special ceremonies in the works.