Verlander Drops To 0-2 As Blue Jays Beat Tigers, 10-5

DETROIT (AP) — Justin Verlander remained winless in four starts since his return from the disabled list, allowing seven runs as his ERA ballooned to 6.75 ERA during the Detroit Tigers' 10-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Jose Bautista and Justin Smoak homered in a six-run fifth inning against the 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner and MVP.

Verlander (0-2) gave up seven hits and two walks in five innings, striking out five. He needed 94 pitches to get 15 outs.

Detroit reached the midpoint of the season at 41-40, its poorest record since a 39-42 mark for the first half in 2012.

Marco Estrada (6-4) improved to 5-1 in his last seven starts, allowing two runs and five hits in five innings. Roberto Osuna got four outs for his third save.

Toronto went ahead after seven pitches when Jose Reyes led off with a bloop double and scored on Josh Donaldson's single. Verlander's error on an errant pickoff attempt allowing Donaldson to take third, but pitched out of the jam.

Verlander didn't allow another hit until the fifth, helped by a spectacular play by Jose Iglesias that ended the fourth. The shortstop ranged into the hole and threw to second for a forceout.

Danny Valencia walked leading off the fifth after being down 0-2 in the count, Kevin Pillar singled and Devon Travis hit an RBI double. Reyes' groundout made it 3-0 and moved Travis to third, and Donaldson singled through a drawn-in infield. Bautista followed with a two-run homer over the Tigers bullpen in left and, four pitches later, Smoak homered to right for a 7-0 lead.

Ian Kinsler hit a two-run triple in the bottom half, and J.D. Martinez hit his 23rd homer of the season off Bo Schultz in the sixth, making it 7-3. Martinez has homered 10 times in his last 12 games.

Drew VerHagen, making his first major league relief appearance, walked the first three batters of the seventh before Alex Wilson came in. Russell Martin and Devon Travis added RBI singles.

Detroit added two more runs against the Toronto bullpen on an Anthony Gose homer and James McCann's RBI single.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: LHP Felix Doubront, who spent much of the first half of the season recovering from a shoulder injury, could fill the vacant spot in Toronto's rotation Tuesday in Chicago. Doubront was called up on Friday, and came through a 2 1/3-inning relief outing that night without problems.

Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera spent some team with the team after Friday's calf injury but will not make Detroit's upcoming trip in order to stay off his leg and get treatment. Cabrera was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career Saturday, and is expected to miss at least six weeks.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Mark Buehrle (9-4) starts Monday at his old team, the Chicago White Sox, and faces former protege Chris Sale (6-4). It will be the first meeting between the pair since Buehrle left Chicago after the 2011 season.

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