James McCann's three-run homer in the second inning began a Detroit onslaught against Happ (6-3), whose six runs allowed were more than his previous three outings combined. He became the fourth consecutive left-handed starter beaten by the Tigers, who struggled against lefties for the first six weeks of the season.
Three sixth-inning add-on runs against Gavin Floyd essentially put the game away.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Upton, up and away: A day after Justin Upton swung away at a 3-0 pitch for a two-run single, Upton did his damage after falling into a 0-2 count. Upton worked the count full against Happ before lining a two-run homer off the railing above the right-field fence, extending the Tigers' advantage to 6-0 in the fourth.
Letting it slip away: McCann's home run wasn't the only issue Happ encountered in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, Detroit's Ian Kinsler singled to left field and advanced to second on a balk. Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin was then charged with a passed ball and Happ later threw a wild pitch, which allowed Kinsler to score without an additional hit. The defensive issues continued throughout the night for Toronto, as Kevin Pillar misread a fly ball early in the game and then committed an error in the sixth.
J.D. delivers on defense: While Fulmer didn't encounter a ton of trouble, his scoreless streak rolled on thanks in part to a key catch from J.D. Martinez to end the third inning. Edwin Encarnacion's drive turned Martinez the wrong direction before he tracked it to the right-field wall, making the catch and then holding on after impact.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
According to research on baseball-reference, Fulmer is the first Tigers pitcher since at least 1913 to toss three consecutive outings of at least six scoreless innings on three or fewer hits. Max Scherzer (2013) and Mickey Lolich (1968) were the only other Tigers to throw such outings in back-to-back starts.
UNDER REVIEW
After hearing from Toronto manager John Gibbons, crew chief umpire Larry Vanover agreed to take a closer look at Upton's two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning. Following a brief 30-second crew-chief review, the original call on the field was confirmed and Upton was granted his fourth home run of the season. The replay clearly showed the ball hit a metal fence above the wall before bouncing back onto the field.
WHAT'S NEXT
Blue Jays: Right-hander Aaron Sanchez (5-1, 2.99 ERA) will take the mound when the Blue Jays continue their series against the Tigers on Tuesday night at Comerica Park at 7:10 p.m. ET. Sanchez has surrendered three runs or fewer in all but two of his 11 starts this season. He has never made a start vs. the Tigers, but he has faced them three times out of the bullpen.
Tigers: Matt Boyd (0-1), the former Blue Jays prospect who came over in the David Price trade last summer, will face his old team a second time as he makes his third start of the season for the Tigers on Tuesday night. Boyd took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning last Thursday against the Yankees before a four-run rally sent him to defeat.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.
Jason Beck has covered the Tigers for MLB.com since 2002. Read Beck's Blog, follow him on Twitter @beckjason and listen to his podcast.
Gregor Chisholm has covered the Blue Jays for MLB.com since 2011. Follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB and Facebook, and listen to his podcast.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Fulmer adds 6 zeros to streak in rout of Blue Jays
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