Rios homers, McGowan wins as Blue Jays beat Tigers 3-2 to end six-game home losing streak
Associated Press | Apr 19, 08 3:15 PM CDT in
Sports
Alex Rios homered, Dustin McGowan won for the first time this season and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Saturday, snapping a six-game home losing streak.
Toronto's previous home win was April 6 in the wrapup of a three-game sweep of Boston.
McGowan (1-1) pitched a season-high seven innings, allowing two runs and seven hits. The 26-year-old right-hander improved to 9-3 in his past 14 starts at Rogers Centre.
Scott Downs worked the eighth and B.J. Ryan wrapped it up in the ninth for his second save, striking out Ryan Raburn looking to leave runners at first and third.
Rios opened the scoring with his second homer, a solo shot in the first. Toronto made it 2-0 in the second when Marco Scutaro drew a bases-loaded walk, but missed a chance to do more damage when Joe Inglett grounded into a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play.
Detroit closed to 2-1 in the third. Ivan Rodriguez led off with a single, Raburn doubled off the top of the left-field wall and Jacque Jones hit an RBI grounder.
Toronto scored again in the fifth against Jeremy Bonderman (1-2) when third baseman Miguel Cabrera couldn't handle Vernon Wells' bouncer. The ball glanced off Cabrera's glove for his fifth error of the season, and allowed Aaron Hill to score from second base.
Inglett hit a one-out triple in the sixth, but David Eckstein popped a squeeze bunt straight back to reliever Jason Grilli, who doubled Inglett off third to end the inning.
The Tigers made it 3-2 in the seventh on Rodriguez's sacrifice fly. McGowan stranded runners at the corners by grabbing a hard bouncer from Clete Thomas and throwing to first for the out.
Bonderman walked six, one of them intentionally, in five innings.
The Blue Jays benched designated hitter Frank Thomas, who is hitless in 13 at-bats and 4-for-35 since homering in three straight games from April 5-8. Matt Stairs started for Thomas and went 2-for-3 with an intentional walk.
Notes:@ 3B Scutaro made a leaping catch to retire pinch-hitter Marcus Thames in the eighth ... Detroit 2B Placido Polanco (stiff back) got the day off and was replaced by Raburn ... Inglett started in place of OF Shannon Stewart (sore groin), who was a late scratch.
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