At the MLB All-Star break, the Detroit Tigers had the best record in baseball at 59-38. That was despite losing four consecutive games.
Yet the Tigers have kept losing since the 2025 season resumed, taking the defeat in six of seven games after being battered 11-4 by the Toronto Blue Jays in their first home game since MLB’s midseason hiatus.
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Losing 10 of its past 11 games, Detroit now has the third-best record in the American League at 60-44. Toronto has the league’s best mark 61-42, a half game ahead of the 60-42 Houston Astros. The Tigers have the sixth-best record in MLB with both the Milwaukee Brewers (61-41) and Los Angeles Dodgers 60-43) ahead of them, as well.
The Blue Jays sent Detroit reeling with a five-run sixth inning, kicked off with an RBI double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to tie the score at 1-1. After Tigers starter Reese Olson got Bo Bichette to ground out, he intentionally walked Addison Barger to face Ernie Clement. Clement blew that strategy up with a three-run homer on a hanging slider from Reese in the middle of the strike zone.
Joey Loperfido followed with a solo home run off a changeup low and inside to give Toronto a 6-1 lead. Olson then hit Tyler Heineman and was pulled from the game in favor of Dietrich Enns. Enns finished off the sixth inning, but had his own difficulties in the seventh.
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Nathan Lukes led off the frame with a double and was driven in on a one-out single from Guerrero. Bichette followed with a single and came home on a two-run triple by Barger. Clement then made it a 9-1 game by driving in Barger with a sacrifice fly.
Olson finished with five runs allowed on six hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. Enns gave up four runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings. Geoff Hartlieb followed with two runs allowed, serving a two-run homer to Lukes in the eighth inning. Only catcher Jake Rogers, a position player giving the Tigers’ bullpen a break, left unscathed, throwing a scoreless ninth.
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Every Blue Jays starting batter got a hit on Thursday, led by Guerrero hitting 3-for-5 with two RBI. Lukes, Clement, Loperfido and Will Wagner each got two hits. Meanwhile, Eric Lauer provided strong pitching, allowing one run and five hits over eight innings with six strikeouts. Chad Green allowed three runs in the ninth inning, including a homer by Spencer Torkelson, but the Toronto lead was too big for that to matter.
Keider Montero (4-2, 4.28 ERA) gets the start for the Tigers on Friday, while José Berríos (6-4, 3.87) goes for the Blue Jays.
