Max Scherzer pitched five effective innings Wednesday afternoon and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Detroit Tigers 5-1 to salvage the finale of a three-game series.
The 42-year-old Scherzer (3-8), who enjoyed several outstanding years with Detroit, allowed one run, three hits and three walks with three strikeouts. He helped the Blue Jays (76-77) move to within 1 1/2 games of the third American League wild-card berth now occupied by the Chicago White Sox, who lost to the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday.
The Tigers (72-80) threatened in the ninth with a single and a walk against Spencer Miles. Louis Varland came in to earn his 34th save with the help of a leaping catch by second baseman Josh Smith.
The Tigers, whose six-game winning streak came to a halt, were undone by shoddy fielding that included three errors.
The Tigers started out well, scoring once in the first. Colt Keith blooped a two-out double to shallow left that dropped among a cluster of fielders. He scored on Riley Greene’s single to center.
Toronto took a 2-1 lead against Keider Montero (9-9) in the fourth. Kazuma Okamoto led off with a walk, took third on Smith’s double to right and scored on Ernie Clement’s sacrifice fly to center. Myles Straw stroked an RBI single to left.
Montero allowed two runs, six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in four innings.
Scherzer allowed only two walks in his final 10 batters faced before the Blue Jays added a run in the fifth against Tyler Holton.
Bret Bateman singled and was safe when catcher Dillon Dingler’s throw to second on Nathan Lukes’ bunt sailed high. Bateman then scored on George Springer’s single.
Detroit committed errors on three straight infield grounders in the sixth that allowed Toronto to add two runs against Drew Sommers.
Tigers shortstop John Peck made a fielding error on Clement’s one-out grounder. He then committed a throwing error on Brandon Valenzuela’s grounder. Third baseman Kevin McConigle’s error allowed Straw to reach first. The second run of the inning scored when Sommers was slow to come up with Lukes’ trickler up the first base line and the throw to first was late.
Straw and Bateman both went 2-for-4 for the Blue Jays.
McGonigle had a pair of singles for the Tigers in five at-bats.
–Field Level Media
