Tigers go north of the border and take 2 or 3 from Jays

August 20 at Rogers Centre.- Tigers 10  Blue Jays 8

Harvey Kuenn, Reno Bertoia and Al Kaline started the game with singles, loading the bases.  Ray Boone grounded into a double play to score one run and Charley Maxwell singled home a second run.  With two out in the fourth, Franks Catalanotto and Aaron Hill singled.  Sean Hillebrand scored one with a single and Vernon Wells unloaded on Billy Hoeft for his fifth homer of the season.  Johnny Groth led off the 4th with a single, went to second on Frank Bolling's sacrifice and third on Jerry porter's single.  He then scored when Red Wilson got the first of his four consecutive hits.  The Tigers tied the game in the 5th when Bertoia was safe on an error by reliever Dave Bush.  Kaline singled him to second and Maxwell singled to load the bases.  Groth then walked to force in a run and tie the game.  In the 6th, Alex Rios led off with a single and scored on Reed Johnson's double.  Hoeft then showed the same lack of control he had in his first outing, walking the next three hitters.  After he struck out Catalanotto, Harry Byrd was summoned from the bullpen.  He gave up a sacrifice fly to Hill but then got out of the inning with no further damage. However the Blue Jays were now ahead 7-4.  Kaline singled home two runs in the 8th to cut the lead to 1.  The with two out in the 9th, Bill Tuttle, who had come in after Porter was removed for a pinch hitter, got his third hit of the season by tripling.  Red Wilson followed with his fourth consecutive hit of the game, also a triple.  The Jays went 1-2-3 in the ninth and the two teams headed into extra innings.  The Jays threatened in the 10th with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out when the Tigers got a strike them out, throw then out double play as Rios tried to steal second.  The first threat the Tigers mustered came in the 13th and it was more than a threat.  Kaline and Boone singled to open the inning and Charlie Maxwell deposited a homer into the right field seats.  The Jays threatened in their half of the inning, scoring once and had two runners on when Hill hit into a game ending double play. Byrd threw 6.2 innings of relief to get the win (1-0, 0.00), Jim Stump earned his first save.  Vinnie Chulk took the loss(0-1, 5.40).  Kuenn, Kaline and Wilson all had four hits.

 

August 21, Rogers Centre - Tigers 5  Jays 4

The Jays opened the scoring in the 1t with Catalanotto singling, and scoring on Hillebrand's double.  Bertoia led off the 3rd with a walk, Kaline singled and Boone walked to load the bases, one of 6 walks he would receive on the day.  Kelly downs got the next two hitters but Bolling singled to tie the game.  With two out in the 4th, Kuenn walked, one of 7 Downs would issue in 4 innings of work.  Bertoia doubled him home and scored on Kaline's single. In the fifth, Bolling was safe on a force out and went to third on Porter's single, then scored on a wild pitch.  Wells opened the 7th with a single and went to second on a bunt,  Rios plated him and took second on the throw, scoring when Gregg Zaunn singled.  In the 8th, Hillebrand was hit by a pitch.  Two walks were sandwiched around a strikeout to move Hillebrand to third.  Rios attempted to squeeze, but missed the pitch.  However, Shea Hillebrand avoided the tag at the plate and tied the game stealing home.  That was the last run scored until the 15th inning.  Both teams had gone deep into their bullpen the day before, and 8th no real alternative, the Tigers brought Jim Bunning into pitch in the 10th inning.  Bunning would throw 6 scoreless innings to earn the victory (1-2, 1.67) The Tigers scored their victory utilizing the gifts given to them by the Jay pitching staff.  Jim Finegan singled with one out.  Boone walked for the sixth time in the game with two out.  Maxwell loaded the bases and Johnny Groth then walked, earning his second RBI walk in two games.  It was also the 15th walk issued by the Jay pitching staff.  Ted Lilly took the loss (0-1, 2.45) 

 

August 22, Rogers Centre - Jays 9  Tigers 0

At last a nine inning typical game.  Typical for Frank Lary (1-2. 9.37) this season as he gave up another 9 runs (21 runs in 16 innings this season).  Typical for Roy Halladay (2-0, 1.29) who shut the Tigers out on two hits for 7 innings before giving way to Chulk who finished the shutout and allowed only two hits.  The Jays scored four times in the 2nd with Orlando Hudson supplying the big blow with a two run double.  They got three more in the 5th with Corey Koskie getting a two run double.   --submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--