Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello throws against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning of their American League MLB baseball game in Toronto August 29, 2010. REUTERS/Fred ThornhillFRED THORNHILL/Reuters
Chalk it up to a learning experience for Blue Jays left-hander Marc Rzepczynski.
While Detroit's Rick Porcello held Toronto to three hits - including a solo homer by John McDonald - over seven innings, Rzepczynski struggled in a 10-4 loss to the Tigers before a crowd of 26,624 at Rogers Centre.
Rzepczynski lasted 5 2/3 innings Sunday and allowed four runs and five hits with eight strikeouts before another Jesse Carlson took over with the bases loaded in the sixth.
"Zep has got to get down in the strike zone," said Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston.
"He's got to get ground balls and he's got to throw strikes. He was a little better than last time out that's for sure, but if you're going to pitch up here you've got to keep the ball down because he's a sinker-ball pitcher. He can't stay up in the strike zone."
Rzepczynski, who also gave up five walks during the outing, said despite the rough day he felt like he was still improving.
"I felt like I'm heading in the right direction," he said. "I feel I got back to where I was last year. Especially with my off-speed pitches. I didn't have one two starts ago and then finally I had a slider and a curveball which was the best consistently it's been all year.
"But then I also overthrew a couple of pitches. So I'll take it as a step in the right direction, but I've still got a lot to work on."
Adam Lind hit a three-run homer, his 19th of the season, in the ninth against Jose Valverde.
The Tigers had two home runs and four runs batted in by Ryan Raburn against Carlson and Brian Tallet and a two-run homer by Brandon Inge against Carlson.
The Tigers gained a split in the four-game series and the teams finished their season series at 4-4.
Porcello did not allow a walk and struck out four before Phil Coke took over in the eighth.
Rzepczynski and Brett Cecil were two of the young starters the Blue Jays shut down last September to keep their innings pitched under control.
This year Brandon Morrow will be shut down after his start Sept. 3 against the New York Yankees. He's pitched 143 1/3 innings in his first full season as a starter compared to the 124 2/3 innings he appeared in last season.
"They want me to end the season healthy and strong still," Morrow said. "That's the way it's going to be. We talked briefly right be fore the all-star break and (general manager Alex Anthopoulos) mentioned that there would come a time when they would try to limit my innings."
The Blue Jays (68-62) now return to AL East opponents starting Monday with three-game series in Tampa Bay followed by a three-game series in New York against the Yankees.
The Tigers (65-66) scored once in the first when Rzepczynski walked Will Rhymes with one out and gave up a double to Miguel Cabrera who picked up his major-league leading 107th run batted in of the season.
A one-out walk to Jhonny Peralta led to a fourth-inning run for the Tigers after an error and a run-scoring single by Wells.
The Tigers scored two more in the sixth on a double by Wells. It followed two walks and a single that loaded the bases.
Carlson allowed three runs in the seventh on homers by Raburn and Inge. Tallet gave up three more on Raburn's 10th homer in the eighth.
The Blue Jays didn't have a base runner until Jose Bautista singled with two out in the fourth. McDonald hit his fourth homer of the season with two out in the sixth to end the shutout.
"Porcello had good stuff today," Gaston said. "They've got some real good arms over there. I know his record is not where he'd like to have it but he certainly has the arm to switch that around."
The Blue Jays opened the ninth against closer Valverde with an infield single by Fred Lewis and a single by McDonald. Lind homered and John Buck followed with a single before Valverde ended the game on a fly out.
Notes: McDonald started at shortstop for the Blue Jays. Yunel Escobar has a stiff back but Gaston said he was going to give him a day off anyway. . . Bautista started at third base with Edwin Encarnacion on the disabled list with a sprained left wrist. He injured the wrist swinging the bat in Saturday's sixth inning. Mike McCoy was called up from triple-A to replace Encarnacion on the roster. . . First baseman Lyle Overbay missed his second successive game. He came out of Friday's game after the fifth. . . Cecil (11-6, 3.80 earned-run average) will start Monday in the opener of a three-game series against the Rays who will start Wade Davis (10-9, 4.41 ERA). . . Before the game the Blue Jays honoured the 20th anniversary of Dave Stieb's no-hitter in Cleveland on Sept. 2, 1990. It's the franchise's only no-hitter.