The Blue Jays’ playoff push is suddenly in serious trouble. Toronto was blown out 10-1 by the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night, dropping to 75-77 and falling two games behind Cleveland for the final AL Wild Card spot with only 10 games remaining in the regular season. The Jays have now lost three straight and six of their last nine.
On game 153 preview of Flight Deck, Dan Riccio breaks down a disastrous night for Toronto’s pitching staff. Braydon Fisher and MLB debutant Brendan Cellucci combined for three scoreless innings to begin the game, but things quickly unraveled once Michael Lorenzen entered. Lorenzen surrendered five runs over two innings as Detroit completely took control of the game.
Spencer Torkelson did most of the damage, crushing a three-run home run in the fourth inning while also doubling, walking and stealing a base. Hao-Yu Lee added a solo homer as Detroit piled up 10 runs and extended its winning streak to six games. The Tigers have already clinched the series and now have a chance to complete the sweep.
The offence wasn’t much better. Toronto managed only six hits and didn’t score until the eighth inning, when singles from Bret Bateman, George Springer and Alejandro Kirk finally pushed a run across. Nathan Lukes did extend his hitting streak to 12 games, but the Blue Jays once again failed to generate enough offence when they desperately needed it.
Dan will also look at a Wild Card race that is beginning to get away from Toronto. Cleveland rallied for a 7-6 win over the White Sox on Tuesday, pushing the Guardians to 77-75 and increasing their advantage over the Blue Jays to two games. Toronto is also now a half-game behind Texas, making every remaining game increasingly important.
Looking ahead, Max Scherzer gets the ball as Toronto desperately tries to avoid the sweep. Scherzer enters at 2-8 with a 6.38 ERA and is coming off a rough outing against Baltimore in which he surrendered six runs and seven hits over five innings. The Blue Jays are just 5-10 in games Scherzer has started this season.
Detroit counters with Keider Montero, who enters at 9-8 with a 3.55 ERA. Montero has struggled recently, allowing eight runs across eight innings in September and failing to pitch beyond the fourth inning in each of his last two starts. That gives a struggling Toronto offence an opportunity to finally break through early.
With only 10 games remaining and the Blue Jays now two games outside of a playoff spot, the margin for error has almost completely disappeared. Can Scherzer deliver when Toronto needs him most, can the offence finally wake up, and can the Jays avoid being swept at home by Detroit?
We finish with Dan’s picks presented by bet365.
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