Blue Jays 5, Tigers 3: What did you expect, really?

Let's face it. When you looked at this weekend series between the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays and the not-very-good Detroit Tigers, you knew there was a good chance you'd have to find your own entertainment. For some of us, that means watching dingers. In that sense, neither the Tigers nor the dingers disappointed. Detroit lost 5-3 at Rogers Centre, but two Tigers and three Jays homered. So that was nice, anyway.

Ian Kinsler put Detroit on the board in the first with a shot to left for a 1-0 lead. The Jays scored the next five runs, including homers by Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, and Jose Bautista. Former Blue Jay Anthony Gose cut the lead to 5-3 with a two-run shot of his own.

(Donaldson's home run, for what it's worth, was a majestic 444 footer that went toward the third deck before hitting the foul pole. If you count yourself as a dinger aficionado, check it out.)

Tigers starter Matt Boyd struggled at the Rogers Centre as a member of the Blue Jays, and he struggled there as a Tiger, too. He entered the game having allowed 11 runs in 6 2/3 innings in Toronto, having been a member of the Jays organization before being traded to the Tigers. Well, at least he lowered his ERA a bit. Five runs in six innings Friday brought it down to 11.37. (Silver linings?) The runs came on seven hits and three walks. He struck out four.

The Tigers went 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position and have now lost seven of eight.

ROARS:

Ian Kinsler: In the first inning, he homered. In the third inning, he made this awesome catch. In the sixth inning, he singled.

Anthony Gose: Hit a two-run shot to right in his return to Toronto to cut the deficit to 5-3 in the seventh inning.

HISSES:

Matt Boyd: Well, not really too offended by this appearance, to be honest. But he did give up five runs, so, ... .

Tigers offense: Sure it scored three, but that's mainly thanks to Kinsler and Gose. Four batters went 0-for-4, including leadoff batter Rajai Davis, J.D. Martinez and Nick Castellanos.

STREAKS AND STATS:

• With his sixth-inning single, Ian Kinsler earned his 50th multi-hit game of the season, which leads the American League. Kinsler is now 8-for-19 (.421) with three home runs against R.A. Dickey in his career. Kinsler is hitting .374 (37-for-99) in August.
• Four home runs by Anthony Gose is a career-high.
• Reliever Drew VerHagen had just one strikeout in his last five appearances before Friday's. Against the Jays he struck out the side in the seventh inning (but also walked two).
• J.D. Martinez's hit streak ended at seven game after he went 0-for-4. Gose now owns the Tigers' longest hit streak, at two games.

WIN PROBABILITY GRAPH:

Source: FanGraphs