Toronto @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 22, 2010 ) Toronto 2, Detroit 5
Rick Porcello returned from a stint in the minors and immediately looked like his old self.
The Detroit Tigers would like to see him duplicate the feat against a more formidable opponent.
Porcello looks for his first major-league victory in two months Saturday as the Detroit Tigers resume their four-game weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park. The Tigers opened the series in style Thursday, posting a 5-2 triumph over the Blue Jays for their second straight victory following a seven-game losing skid.
Friday's game was rained out, pushing the second game of the series to Saturday with a day-night doubleheader scheduled for Sunday. More rain and thunderstorms are forecast for Saturday night.
Detroit knows it will need to put together more games like the one it played Thursday to get to the top of the AL Central standings. The Tigers' recent losing skid left them entering play Friday two games back of the division-leading Chicago White Sox, and tied with the Minnesota Twins for second.
To get to the playoffs, they'll need more consistency from Porcello (4-7), whose last major-league victory came May 23 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 21-year-old right-hander has gone 0-3 in first starts since, with a one-month demotion to the minors thrown in for good measure.
A 13-game winner as a rookie in 2009, Porcello was sent down to Triple-A after putting together four dismal outings in a row, a stretch that ballooned his ERA from 5.27 to 6.14. The right-hander returned to the big leagues six days ago and looked like a different pitcher than the one that had failed to make it past the sixth inning in his three starts prior to the demotion.
Porcello threw eight strong innings against the Cleveland Indians, allowing a run on six hits while striking out six. He settled for a no-decision in a game the Tigers lost 2-1.
Saturday, he'll be facing a much tougher lineup as the Jays bring their major league-leading 144 home runs into the second game of the four-game set. John Buck was the latest Toronto play to go deep, belting a two-run homer Thursday to account for the only Toronto offense.
Porcello went 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two starts against Toronto last season.
The Blue Jays counter with right-hander Shaun Marcum (8-4), who continues to make strides in his first season back from reconstructive elbow surgery.
Marcum pitched himself out of trouble and into a win in his last outing, scattering nine hits over five innings but allowing just a lone run in the Jays' 10-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. It was his first start back after missing the previous 2 1/2 weeks with elbow inflammation.
Marcum has rebounded from a rough patch in early June, allowing two earned runs or fewer in four of his past five starts. His ERA (3.36) remains solid, and opposing hitters are batting just 247 off him for the season.
The 28-year-old is 1-1 all-time against Detroit with a 5.28 ERA over 15 innings. His last appearance against the Tigers was a good one, as he surrendered two runs in six innings to earn the victory as the Jays beat Detroit, 7-2, on Aug. 11, 2008.