Nice Start From Scherzer, Jays Beat Tigers

We got a great start from Max Scherzer. Five innings, gave up a run in the first on a double (well, a pop-up that no one got under) and a single, but allowed only one more hit the rest of the way and added three more strikeouts to his all-time total (now 9543, 11 short of Jason Verlander). I don’t know if he can get that many before the season ends.

Offensively, we did nothing until the fourth inning: Kazuma Okamoto walked to start it. Josh Smith doubled (hard to believe we got him for Adam Macko, giving us runners on second and third. Ernie Clement hit a sac fly to tie the game. And Myles Straw lined a hard single to left for the game-winning run.

Myles was caught stealing after that, with two outs, not a bad idea. That gave Brett Bateman a fresh count to start the next inning. On the other hand, Bateman has been very hot, and the catcher is very good at throwing out stealers; maybe let him hit?

But we got one more in the fourth, so it all worked out. Bateman singled. Nathan Lukes moved him to second with a bunt and beat it out. Vlad ground out, giving us runners on the corners. And George Springer singled Bateman home.

And a mess of Tiger errors got us two more runs in the fifth. Three errors, including two consecutive errors by SS John Peck (two of them on one play: a booted ball and then a throwing error). Nathan Lukes got an RBI.

We had nine hits, but only one extra-base hit: a Smith double. Bateman (at the top of the order) and Straw (at the bottom) each had two hits.

• Mason Fluharty threw a quick sixth.

• Spencer Miles pitched two quick innings. They sent him out for the ninth, but he didn’t have it, giving up a single and a walk. He just wanted Louis Varland to have a save opportunity.

• Varland got a strikeout, a lineout, and a strikeout (Brandon Valenzuela got him the out by challenging a full-count pitch called a ball, but it was just the upper outside corner).

Mason Fluharty threw a quick sixth.

Spencer Miles pitched two quick innings. They sent him out for the ninth, but he didn’t have it, giving up a single and a walk. He just wanted Louis Varland to have a save opportunity.

Varland got a strikeout, a lineout, and a strikeout (Brandon Valenzuela got him the out by challenging a full-count pitch called a ball, but it was just the upper outside corner).

Valenzuela wasted a challenge in the first inning, on a 1-1 pitch, which caused trouble later when Springer wanted to challenge a pitch and quickly decided not to, in case he used our last challenge. After George struck out, he watched it on an iPad and was angry that he didn’t challenge.

I don’t know that it was a needed win for the Jays, but it was a needed win for me.

Jays of the Day: Scherzer (0.16 WPA), Straw (0.15, who didn’t look pleased that Vlad poured water in his cleats) and Smith (0.10). And let’s give an honourable mention to Varland.

Tomorrow is an off-day. Yay. And then the Jays head to the Heart of Texas (stomp stomp) to play the Rangers for three games.