Lourdes Gurriel Jr. connected for a two-run home run during the ninth inning, but it proved to be in vain.Carlos Osorio/The Associated Press
Nicholas Castellanos gave the Detroit Tigers a chance to enjoy the type of celebration that’s been awfully rare of late at Comerica Park.
Castellanos led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a home run, and Detroit snapped its six-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. The Tigers won for only the eighth time in their past 41 games. It was just their 13th victory at home on the season, the fewest in the majors.
“I love these guys. This team, we’ve been through a lot,” Castellanos said. “The personalities in this team want to do good so bad, and they know that this is their opportunity, so the fact that everybody’s jumping around me, dumping stuff on me and we’re all smiling after a big win like that … that’s a good moment.”
The victory didn’t come easily. Closer Shane Greene allowed a tying, two-run homer by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the ninth, but Castellanos connected on the first pitch thrown by Tim Mayza (0-1) for his 11th homer of the season. It could be his last big moment for Detroit. Castellanos is a candidate to be dealt as the trade deadline approaches.
Castellanos said he isn’t preoccupied with trade speculation.
“I’m at the point where I really don’t care what happens,” Castellanos said. “Why care? I can’t control it. Why care if one day my hair is going to turn grey if I can’t control it? I don’t know if that analogy makes any sense, but it popped into my head.”
Nick Ramirez (5-3) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th for Detroit.
JaCoby Jones also homered for the Tigers, and Tyler Alexander pitched seven impressive innings. Alexander held Toronto to a run and three hits, but his first career win slipped away in the ninth. Greene, who entered with a 1.03 ERA, allowed a drive to left-centre by Gurriel that tied the game at 3.
“He has been so good lately,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “Every time we need a big hit, he seems to come up with one.”
Toronto scored in the first on an RBI double by Gurriel, but Detroit tied it in the second when a run came home on Bobby Wilson’s double-play grounder. The Blue Jays tried to turn a 5-4-3 triple play when Wilson hit a grounder to third with the bases loaded, but the throw to first was late.
Jeimer Candelario put Detroit up 2-1 with an RBI groundout in the third, and Jones hit his 10th homer of the year in the fifth.