The Tigers’ Ian Kinsler turns a triple play in the sixth inning as the Blue Jays’ Kendrys Morales slides into second on Sept. 8, 2017.Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
First it was third baseman Josh Donaldson who took ill just before game time and was unable to make roll call for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Then it was left fielder Steve Pearce who followed him into the sick bay, exiting before the start of the third inning after experiencing lower-back tightness.
You got the sense early on this was not going to go Toronto's way and the Detroit Tigers made sure of it, hanging on for a 5-4 win on Friday night at Rogers Centre where the roof was open and the weather was cool.
In the first of a three-game series pitting two teams playing out the string on disappointing seasons, the Tigers struck for four runs off Toronto starter Marcus Stroman in the top of the third on a grand slam by Nick Castellanos for a 4-0 lead.
Other than that, Stroman (11-7) pitched well, allowing the four runs off six hits through six innings of work.
"His stuff was really good," was the assessment of Toronto manager John Gibbons. "He got off to a great start and there's that one inning that bit him."
Toronto got one back in the fifth when Teoscar Hernandez, a September call-up who replaced Pearce in left, stroked a double into centre field off Detroit starter Buck Farmer. That scored Richard Urena, another recent roster addition who was filling in for Donaldson at third.
Things were looking promising for Toronto in the sixth with one run already on the board to cut Detroit's lead to 4-2 with runners at first and second and nobody out for Kevin Pillar.
With Drew VerHagen now on the mound in relief, Pillar drilled a ground ball down the third-base line – which was the last thing he wanted to do.
The ball was gloved by Jeimer Cadelario who tapped third base for the first out and then threw to Ian Kinsler covering at second for the second out. Kinsler's relay to Efren Navarro at first was just in time to nip Pillar for a triple play.
Kinsler then drilled a solo home-run shot off Danny Barnes in the seventh that proved critical to the Detroit win, bringing the score to 5-2.
Solo home-run shots in the eighth by Urena, his first at the major-league level, and then Jose Bautista, his 22nd of the year, brought Toronto to within one but there was nothing left in the Toronto tank.