Game Threat: Jays (31-27) @ Tigers (28-28)

Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not actually raining in Detroit. Not yet, anyway. Maybe not ever. Or at least not ever tonight. Or maybe it’s over. Whatever it is, the tarp was on the field at some point today, so I went with the image you see above. It’s actually from 2014 — and praise be to our magical space daddy for that!

I especially say that because Josh Donaldson is back in the lineup at third base for the Jays tonight, after a thumb issue saw him miss the middle game of the Boston series (which the Jays lost) and slot in at DH for Sunday’s finale, and I damn well want to see him back out on the field!

I want to see him, and the rest of his teammates, bum-rush Michael Fulmer, tonight’s starting pitcher for the Tigers, too.

Which isn’t to say that Fulmer isn’t a nice prospect (FanGraphs had him as the Tigers best coming into this season), or that the rookie — who came over from the Mets last July as the centrepiece in the Yoenis Cespedes deal — hasn’t had some tasty success over his first ten big league starts. It’s just… come onnnnnnnnnn. The Jays could use laying into him — just like they’re going to destroy David Price trade footnote Matt Boyd tomorrow.

Weather permitting, that is.

And right now, things there are looking pretty alright. I think we’re going to see some baseball…

In case you missed it, I wrote a few words for Toronto Life about the letter sent by a grade four class in Toronto to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, expressing their disappointment at the inadequate punishment handed out to Rougned Odor following last month’s giant hibiscus in Arlington.

Pravda tweets a link to First Impression – The Mark Shapiro Story, which you can now view in full online.

Jeff Blair has a big one on Vlad Guerrero Jr. up at Sportsnet, while Gregor Chishoml gets you primed for the upcoming draft over at BlueJays.com.

Roberto Osuna, despite throwing 29 pitches last night, is available tonight, according to John Gibbons, per a Shi Davidi tweet. I’m sure he’ll be fine! (The club hopes to not have to use him, which is to say… he’s available).

Don’t forget, if you’re in Peterborough, you can check out me and some people you’d surely much rather see at the city’s first ever Pitch Talks event later this month. Hit up Homestand Sports for the details!

TV: Sportsnet

Next Game(s): Tomorrow @ Detroit, 7:10 PM ET

Jose Bautista(R) RF

Josh Donaldson(R) 3B

Edwin Encarnacion(R) DH

Michael Saunders(L) LF

Justin Smoak(S) 1B

Russell Martin(R) C

Devon Travis(R) 2B

Kevin Pillar(R) CF

Darwin Barney(R) SS

LHP J.A. Happ

Ian Kinsler(R) 2B

Cameron Maybin(R) CF

Miguel Cabrera(R) 1B

Victor Martinez(S) DH

J.D. Martinez(R) RF

Nick Castellanos(R) 3B

Justin Upton(R) LF

James McCann(R) C

Jose Iglesias(R) SS

RHP Michael Fullmer