Blue Jays at Tigers
The Rally Goose is the latest hit to come out of Motown, with the Detroit Tigers riding the wave in the wake of a Canadian goose crashing into the video board at Comerica Park on Wednesday. The goose survived and the Tigers have thrived, winning all four games since the incident entering Sunday's series finale against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
With a plastic goose perched upon the dugout and a Rally Goose video playing on the scoreboard, Detroit's John Hicks delivered a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning of Saturday's 7-4 win as fans shouted "Goose! Goose! Goose!" Nicholas Castellanos delivered an RBI double and run-scoring single for his fourth consecutive multiple-hit contest and Jeimer Candelario homered to extend his major league-leading on-base streak to 27 games as the Tigers improved to 8-2 in their last 10. The Blue Jays are in a free fall, dropping five in a row and 15 of their last 19 to tumble a season-worst eight games under .500. Toronto has allowed 34 runs during the five-game slide and its starting rotation's ERA ballooned to 5.45 - more than a run higher than it was through the first 58 games (4.38) one year ago.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, TVA, Sportsnet (Toronto), FS Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (2-5, 4.77 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Michael Fulmer (2-4, 4.60)
Sanchez is coming off his worst start of the season at Boston on Monday, getting pounded for seven runs on nine hits, including two homers, over five innings. It marked the fifth straight start in which he failed to pitch beyond five innings and left him 0-3 in that span. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez are a combined 1-for-22 against Sanchez, who earned his lone win last year at Detroit with six innings of one-run ball.
Fulmer also is trying to bounce back from a rocky start, lasting only 3 1/3 innings while giving up five runs and a pair of homers in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels. He picked up the victory in his previous outing with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball at Minnesota to halt a seven-start winless drought. Fulmer is 2-0 with an 0.64 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays, although Kendrys Morales is 5-for-13 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays C Luke Maile homered and doubled Saturday after going 0-for-18 in his previous six games.
2. Castellanos is 25-for-57 over his last 13 games and has hit safely in seven in a row.
3. Blue Jays OF Teoscar Hernandez had to exit Saturday's game after fouling a ball off his left foot. X-rays were negative.