Tigers Snap Three-Game Skid in 7-6 Win Over Jays

It’s been tough sledding for the league’s best hitting team lately, but the Detroit Tigers‘ offense awoke from its slumber on Tuesday night and mustered just enough power to topple the Toronto Blue Jays.

Although the Tigers weren’t able to reclaim their usual spot atop the AL Central standings on Tuesday – as the Cleveland Indians held on to beat the KC Royals 6-5 – they were able to snap a three-game skid with some clutch hitting against the Jays in a 7-6 win.

Miguel Cabrera – who has been one of the few Tigers without a cold bat – made his normal offensive contributions, clubbing his 26th home run of the season in the second inning to put Detroit up 6-4. However, it was Torii Hunter who came through at the dish when it mattered most.

After Toronto battled back to knot the score at 6-6 in the bottom half of the second, both teams’ offenses went silent until Hunter delivered a game-winning RBI infield single in the top half of the eight inning. The small hit certainly led to a big win and the Tigers are hoping that win will get them out of their funk.

“Just a good win for us, we needed it,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, according to ESPN.com. “Hopefully we can get things going again.”

Though starter Doug Fister got knocked around in the first couple of innings, his composure and ability to settle in and shut down Toronto the rest of the way was just as crucial in Detroit’s rally as the clutch hits were.

“He ended up doing a heck of a job,” Leyland said. “He could have caved in a little bit but he didn’t. That was huge for us.”

Detroit is hoping the win begins a solid run before hitting the All-Star break and with undefeated Max Scherzer (12-0, 3.10 ERA) heading to the mound for the third game in the four-game set with Toronto tomorrow, it’s likely the Tigers will at least nab two wins in a row.

The Tigers are also hoping Central rival Cleveland begins to slip up, but the Indians have shown no signs of slowing down during their current five-game winning streak, a run that has propelled them to a half-game lead over the heavily favored defending AL champs.

For now, we can still consider the Tigers the favorites to win the AL Central, but look for closer race down the stretch than most bettors initially expected. Also, look for Scherzer to pick up another win tomorrow as Detroit covers -1.5. I wouldn’t bet against him until he finally loses a game and with the Tigers’ bats seemingly heating up, he should get even more help tomorrow.