The Toronto Blue Jays are turning out to be a surprise of the 2014 MLB season. Currently dominating the American League, they looking to complete a series sweep against the Detroit Tigers, their first in 11 years. The Blue Jays first sweep will be an uphill battle as the team is preparing to face off against Justin Verlander who is looking to go 4-0 in his last six starts against Toronto.
The Blue Jays' history in Detroit is not great. Prior to the series, Toronto had dropped six of seven, but have turned things around winning both Tuesday and Wednesday at the bats of Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera and Adam Lind. The Blue Jays combined for seven RBIs to get the Wednesday win after Cabrera finished a triple shy of the cycle. Toronto has won 18 of 22 games including 10 of 11 on the road. They are batting a combined .301 during this winning stretch with 25 home runs.
Toronto is sending J.A. Happ to the mound. He is 4-2 with a 4.10 ERA. However, he is coming off a game where he gave up six runs and nine hits in one of his worst games. In his only game against Detroit, he gave up just one run in seven innings.
Verlander intends to test those numbers on Thursday. The pitcher has put up 1.32 ERA in his last five starts while being 6-4 overall. His last game against the Blue Jays saw seven scoreless innings in an 11-1 win last July. He gave up just three runs and five hits in seven innings against the Seattle Mariners. He had gone 1-2 with an 8.31 ERA in his last three starts before the win.
The Tigers have stalled slightly right now in the season. The team is attempting to avoid a five-game losing streak, having lost 12 of their last 16 overall. Pitching has been an issue as starters have a 6.01 ERA in 16 games combined. Even worse, they are batting .157 with just seven runs. They left 11 on base Wednesday while being 2 for 19 with runners in scoring position in the past four games.