Relieved Jays beat up Tigers bullpen in ugly win
DETROIT — Over the past week, it became a mantra. No pressure. No panic. No worries.
But no question, relief filled the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse after a bumpy victory on an ugly afternoon in Detroit. They started the game with a 2-5 record and fell behind by five runs, and then, with a generous push from the Tigers bullpen, rallied to win 8-6.
Mark DeRosa, the 38-year-old veteran who delivered a big pinch hit, said the Jays dugout had been a sombre place during the season’s first week. His two-run double in the sixth inning kick-started a mood change.
“It’s been quiet and rightfully so,” said DeRosa. “We haven’t played well. We try and keep it upbeat, try and keep it energetic, but when you’ve got a 2-5 record and you see another game slipping away, you kind of want to push the throttle a little bit. We needed something to happen like this.”
Pinch-hitting for Adam Lind, DeRosa launched the comeback. An inning later, after three straight walks, J.P. Arencibia cleared the bases with a double to give the Blue Jays their first lead at 8-6.
It was only the second hit in the four-run inning, but it capitalized on an enormous opportunity — something this team had failed repeatedly to do so far this season. Their first week was full of innings with one baserunner. Instead of passing the baton, they continually dropped it.
“It was nice to get a few hits and walks and guys grinding out at-bats and stringing it all in the same inning,” said Arencibia said. “(To) score, you need to be able to do that collectively in an inning and we were able to do that.”
Toronto had to overcome a second straight rough start by Mark Buehrle and more defensive lapses by second baseman Emilio Bonifacio and, to a lesser extent, third baseman Maicer Izturis.
Manager John Gibbons saw encouraging signs from Edwin Encarnacion, who was 0 for 19 before he doubled in the fourth.
Two innings later, he whacked another double to drive in the Jays’ second run ahead of DeRosa’s twobagger. Both hits eluded the glove of a leaping Miguel Cabrera by mere inches.
Encarnacion had struck out seven times during his hitless streak but, like everyone else in the clubhouse, claimed he was unfazed by the poor start.
“I knew I had to just keep my head up,” he said. “I knew things were going to change. It’s not going to be like the beginning all year long.”
Asked about the infield defence, Gibbons would not stoop to criticizing Bonifacio, who made his fourth error, and Izturis, who failed to flag down a ball to his glove side and has endured throwing problems from day one.
But the manager acknowledged the obvious: He will be glad to see Brett Lawrie back at third base, perhaps as early as the end of next week, which will allow Izturis to play more comfortably at second base.