It looked like the Detroit Tigers might be in for a big night after the heart of the lineup belted a pair of first inning home runs. The bats fell silent after that early show of force, and the Toronto Blue Jays went on to defeat the Tigers by a final score of 8-3 in their series opener on Friday night.
Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder each put solo shots over the fence to stake Detroit to a 2-0 lead in the first. The Blue Jays picked up a run in the bottom of that inning, before hammering Rick Porcello for four runs in the fourth inning. Toronto added another three runs in the seventh and eighth, including a two-run shot from Travis Snider.
It was the first loss since June 20 for Porcello, whose ERA rose to 4.56. He made it through six innings, giving up five runs, two walks and striking out just one batter.
Blue Jays starter Carlos Villanueva earned his fourth consecutive win, dropping his ERA to 2.92 for the season.
Detroit is now one game behind Chicago for first place in the AL Central. They get another shot in Toronto on Saturday afternoon.
For more Tigers baseball coverage, check out Bless You Boys. For more on the Blue Jays, visit Bluebird Banter. And for more MLB news and analysis, be sure to check out Baseball Nation.