Anibal Sanchez of the Detroit Tigers pitches in the first inning of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 3, 2015 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.Leon Halip/Getty Images
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons spent much of his pregame media bull session discussing the need for a fifth starter as his team headed into the second half of the season.
Judging from Friday's night's follies at Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers, the Blue Jays problems seem so much deeper than that.
With Anibal Sanchez flirting with throwing his second no-hitter of his career, the Tigers leapt into an early lead and then hung on for dear life, escaping with an 8-6 victory in a bizarre game.
Sanchez was masterful in manhandling the Blue Jays up until the eighth inning where he had a no-hitter going with just two measly walks.
There, with his team leading 8-0, it all began to unravel, starting with Ezequiel Carrera, who broke up the no-hit bid when he lined a 2-2 pitch into left field with one out.
It was the first of three consecutive hits, which accounted for Toronto's first run and resulted in Sanchez getting yanked. Sanchez was charged with three runs off four hits over 7 1/3 innings to improve his record to 7-7.
Toronto's Drew Hutchison (8-2), who continued with his struggles pitching on the road, absorbed the loss, getting stung for seven of the Detroit runs off 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
With Sanchez disposed, the Blue Jays' high-potent offence clicked into top gear with Josh Donaldson poking a two-run double off reliever Alex Wilson to bring the score to 8-3.
Toronto loaded the bases with two out for Dioner Navarro, who came through with a bases-clearing double to the gap in right-centre that trimmed Detroit's lead to 8-6.
The crowd of close to 40,000, on the edge of their seats only minutes earlier at the prospect of witnessing a no-hitter, were suddenly feely somewhat antsy.
Detroit closer Joakim Soria helped sooth the jagged nerves, coming on in the ninth to record his 18th save of the season.
The Blue Jays made it all that much easier for the Tigers to succeed, committing three errors along the way.
Carrera committed two of them, both throwing errors from left field in an embarrassing five-run Detroit fourth inning that opened the door for the Tigers, putting them up 6-0.
Devon Travis recorded the other error in the fifth that allowed another Detroit runner to cross as the Blue Jays lost their fourth game in the past five.
The Blue Jays hit the halfway mark of the season on Thursday, a truculent run that has seen them keep pace in the American League East despite obvious pitching imperfections.
And while a 42-40 record after 82 games is not too shabby all things considered, Gibbons is enough of a realist to know that a similar record over the second half will not be enough to halt the team's 21-year playoff drought.
"I like it. I like the feeling out there," Gibbons said when asked before the game for his first half assessment.
"But yeah, it's going to take a better [second] half than that to win this thing, no doubt."
The lack of a reliable fifth starter in the rotation continues to be Toronto's Achilles heel. The latest implosion of a No. 5 was witnessed Thursday night in Toronto when Matt Boyd, in his second spot start of the year, blew up real good.
Boyd allowed seven runs, all earned, without recording an out in the first inning.
For his effort, Boyd was demoted back to Triple-A Buffalo after the game, while reliever Todd Redmond was designated for assignment.
Pitchers Ryan Tepera and lefty Felix Doubront were called up and were in uniform for Friday's game.
The Blue Jays are in need of a starter the next time the fifth hole rolls around, which will be Tuesday against the White Sox in Chicago, where Toronto's 10-game road journey will take them after Detroit.
Gibbons hinted that Doubront, a serviceable pitcher with the Boston Red Sox in 2012 and 2013, during which he won a combined 22 games, could get the start if his arm doesn't get tapped out in the bullpen in the meantime.
Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos is out beating the bushes in an effort to land the Blue Jays another starter before the non-waiver trade deadline rolls around at the end of this month.
And that makes Gibbons happy.
"I know he's hunting, like a lot of guys are hunting out there," Gibbons said.