The Toronto Blue Jays wrap up the first half of the season with a four-game standoff against the visiting Detroit Tigers. The Blue Jays have won five in a row and currently sit 2.5 games back of the Baltimore Orioles for the top spot in the American League East. All things considered — with a 48-39 record — Toronto is looking pretty good after early concerns about pretty much everything beyond starting pitching.
At least three Blue Jays are heading to the all-star game in San Diego next week. Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion will play, while Marco Estrada has been placed on the disabled list and will sit out despite earning an all-star nod. Michael Saunders could also earn a spot as one of the five finalists determined by fan voting, but that’s up the people now. We’ll know how much you like him by Friday.
In the meantime, there is meaningful baseball to play. The Tigers are coming in hot off a 12-2 win over the Cleveland Indians, their divisional rivals. They sit second in the AL Central and should be a tough out for the Jays before the all-star break.
Thursday, July 7 — 7:07 ET
Justin Verlander vs. Drew Hutchison
Friday, July 8 — 7:07 ET
Mike Pelfrey vs. J.A. Happ
Saturday, July 9 —1:07 ET
TBD vs. Aaron Sanchez
Sunday, July 10 — 1:07 ET
TBD vs. R.A. Dickey
Hutch-is-on
Drew Hutchison will make his second start of the season on Thursday night, filling in for all-star Marco Estrada, who is on the DL to rest a bad back. Hutchison last pitched for the Blue Jays against the Oakland Athletics back in late April, and otherwise has been biding his time down with the Buffalo Bisons, where he’s posted a 2.78 ERA. After losing his spot in the rotation to start the season, Hutchison has been working to prove that he belongs on the mound for the Blue Jays. Opening the series against the Tigers will be a big opportunity for him to do that. This will be Hutchison’s fourth career start against the Tigers, amongst whom he’s posted a 4.63 ERA and a .333 opponent’s average.
Tulo-WHAT!-ski
Since returning from a rehab stint for a strained quad on June 18, Troy Tulowitzki has returned to fine form at the plate. Tulowitzki suffered from a slow start this season, which carried over from a slow finish last season, and had many Blue Jays faithful worrying the 31-year-old left his best days in Colorado. But since his return, Tulowitzki is hitting .339 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and a 1.132 OPS. His resurgence at the plate has been nicely timed with Jose Bautista’s toe injury, and has been a key part of the Blue Jays improvement at the plate. He went 0-4 to close out the Blue Jays series with the Royals, but expect that to be more of an anomaly for Tulowitzki now.
Darwin’s Law
The evolution of Darwin Barney into the Blue Jays’ go-to utility man just continues. Barney’s defence is key coming off the bench, and he even struck a man out coming in to pitch relief in the July 1 marathon against the Indians. But Barney’s performance at the plate is what ensures his survival as the fittest option off the bench. And clearly he loves it here. Barney’s .343 batting average at the Rogers Centre is highest on the team this season. He’s hit in five straight games and has hit .341 with a .911 OPS while hitting in the ninth spot this season.
Tigers looking for blood
They are 6.5 games back of the Cleveland Indians for the top spot in the AL Central, and just 1.5 games out of a wild card spot. This will be a big four-game series for the Tigers as they hope to make up some ground before the break. The Blue Jays face a dangerous offence in Detroit, led by Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez. Nick Castellanos, whose name is too difficult to spin a pun out of, is also having a great season at third base for the Tigers. When the Jays faced the Tigers earlier in June, he went 4-for-12, including a home run and a triple. The Blue Jays lost that series in Detroit, dropping two and winning one. But the Blue Jays went 3-0 against the Tigers at home last season, and have won five straight against them at the Rogers Centre reaching back to August 2014. That doesn’t really mean much for this series, but it’s a neat thing to know.
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