Blue Jays take two of three from sluggish Tigers in Detroit

For the first time in what seems like a while, the Blue Jays rolled into Detroit to face a team that, surprisingly, had an even worse record than they do.

While the Tigers didn’t exactly present a sinister challenge by any means, the Blue Jays were still able to rough up their opposition, cruising to a series win and falling just short of a three-game sweep.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the weird from a fun series in Detroit:

Eric Sogard (6-for-15, 4 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI) was stellar in what was perhaps his final series in a Blue Jays uniform, while fellow infielder Freddy Galvis (7-for-14, 3 R, 2 2B, RBI) also shone in the set. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (5-for-12, 4 R, HR, 5 RBI, BB), along with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (4-for-14, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI), provided ample firepower in their own rights.

Elsewhere in the lineup, Teoscar Hernandez (5-for-12, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2B, BB) had a trigger-happy series, exploding once again.

On the mound, relievers David Phelps (2.0 IP, H, 0 R/ER, SO), Derek Law (1.0 IP, H, 0 R/ER, 2 SO), Joe Biagini (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 3 SO), Justin Shafer (1.0 IP, H, 0 R/ER, SO), and Daniel Hudson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER) were all excellent, with closer Ken Giles (1.0 IP, H, 0 R/ER, 3 SO, SV) also putting up a tremendous performance of his own.

Finally, Jacob Waguespack (5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R/ER, 0 BB, 7 SO) was pretty solid in his second career start, while Marcus Stroman (7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, W) was awesome, pitching in front of a reportedly large group of scouts from various MLB teams.

Brandon Drury (1-for-9, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SO) was unexciting, despite a pivotal home run in the middle game, while Billy McKinney (1-for-5, R, BB, 3 SO) and Cavan Biggio (1-for-7, 2 BB, R, 4 SO) struggled as well. Randal Grichuk (1-for-7, R, BB, 2 SO, CS), who has been ridiculously streaky this season, had a down-series this time around.

On the mound, starter Trent Thornton (3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R/ER, BB, 3 SO) was rocked, while relievers Tim Mayza (0.0 IP, HR, R/ER, L) and Sam Gaviglio (2.0 IP, 2 H, R/ER, 2 SO) were also roughed up, albeit in limited innings.

In one of the most amusing developments of the season, Danny Jansen shaved his mustache mid-game Friday, appearing clean shaven during his fourth at-bat of the game despite sporting a stache in his earlier three ABs. The aesthetic decision evidently helped the young catcher, as he drove in two on a single in his first stacheless plate appearance of the night.

Back at home, the Blue Jays are set to send Ryan Borucki (0-0, -.– ERA, 0 SO), Aaron Sanchez (3-14, 6.26 ERA, 83 SO), and Stroman (6-10, 3.06 ERA, 93 SO) to the hill to face the 56-41 Cleveland Indians, who’ll trot out Mike Clevinger (3-2, 3.57 ERA, 58 SO), Trevor Bauer (9-7, 3.67 ERA, 170 SO), and Shane Bieber (9-3, 3.69 ERA, 156 SO) in what should be an excitingly pitched series. The first pitch of Monday’s game flies at 7:07 PM EDT.