Blue Jays 3, Tigers 2
Aaron Hill singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th as the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Detroit Tigers 3-2 Friday.
Phil Coke (7-3) relieved Ryan Perry in the 11th and allowed John Buck’s single with one out before walking Fred Lewis. Hill came up next and lifted a single to shallow right, scoring pinch runner John McDonald from second for the winning run.
The Blue Jays looked to be in good shape with closer Kevin Gregg on the mound in the ninth inning, but Austin Jackson led off with a triple and came in to score the tying run on Johnny Damon’s single to right.
Knotted at 1-1 in the seventh, Adam Lind led off the frame and took two balls before squaring up Justin Verlander’s 2-0 offering and sending it over the fence in center to put Toronto on top, 2-1. It was the 18th homer of the season for Lind, and his first in nine games.
Verlander allowed just five hits while striking out eight in eight innings. The Tigers have not managed more than two runs in any of Verlander’s last four losses.
The Blue Jays took the lead on Jose Bautista’s major league-leading 42nd homer of the year in the fourth before Detroit came back to forge a tie when Miguel Cabrera lifted his 32nd blast of the season off Shaun Marcum in the sixth.