Myles Straw puts the Jays ahead! 2-1 Jays!
Instant Reaction: Blue Jays avoid sweep with 5-1 victory over Tigers
Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2026, 20:16 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays’ fate is out of their control.
All they can do at this point of the season is win, and they did just that in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers, defeating the American League Central team by a score of 5-1. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!
For the second consecutive game, the Tigers opened the scoring as Colt Keith hit a two-out double, and was cashed in by a Riley Greene RBI single. Thankfully, that’s all the Tigers mustered in this game, though they managed to hold on to the lead until the bottom of the fourth.
Kazuma Okamoto led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk, then was moved to third as Josh Smith hit a double to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Okamoto was cashed in thanks to an Ernie Clement sacrifice fly, before Myles Straw hit a two-out RBI single to give the Jays a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Brett Bateman led off the inning with a single, was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, with Nathan Lukes reaching first safely. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a ground ball, and while the Tigers were able to get Lukes at second, Guerrero Jr. reached safely. That brought up George Springer, who hit a one-out RBI single.
George Springer adds to the lead!
For the third straight inning, the Jays scored at least one run. Clement reached first on an error, then the Tigers committed another error that allowed Clement to score all the way from first. Brandon Valenzuela reached second on the error, then the Tigers committed another error. Eventually, Lukes drove in a run with a single, giving the Jays a 5-1 lead.
Takeaways…
The out of town scoreboard didn’t go the Blue Jays way, unfortunately. Before the end of their game, the Cleveland Guardians managed to defeat the Chicago White Sox 6-3, meaning the Jays will end the day two games behind the Guardians for the final wild card spot with just nine games to play.
As for the game itself, it was a nice bounce back game for the team’s pitching and offence. Max Scherzer went five innings of one run ball against his former team. Mason Fluharty pitched a clean inning, Spencer Miles allowed four hits and a walk in his 2+ innings, but wasn’t tagged with an earned run, as Louis Varland stranded the two runners on base for his 34th save of the season.
Offensively, the Blue Jays won by playing some small ball. Josh Smith’s double to put two runners in scoring position was the lone extra-base hit of this game for the Jays. Brett Bateman and Myles Straw each finished with two-hits, while Nathan Lukes, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, and Brandon Valenzuela all finished with a single. Every starter reached base, Ernie Clement on an error and Kazuma Okamoto on a walk.
This win wraps up the Blue Jays’ penultimate home stand this season, as they’ll be back on the road to play a crucial series against the Texas Rangers beginning on Friday. With the Rangers also in the thick of the playoff race, the Blue Jays essentially need a sweep to have any hopes of making the playoffs. Friday’s game has an 8:05 PM ET start time with Dylan Cease on the mound.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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