DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jacob Turner tossed three scoreless innings in his third Spring Training start, outpitching fellow top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek in the matchup of young arms before Brett Lawrie's three-run homer set loose a six-run Jays rally in the eighth inning for a 7-4 win over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
Four days after Turner beat Toronto with three innings of one-run ball in Lakeland, Fla., he looked even better in the rematch, utilizing his sinker and changing speeds to induce ground balls on top of three strikeouts. He allowed just two balls in play to escape the infield, and all three hits he allowed were ground-ball singles.
By the time Adam Lind singled in Lawrie to put the Jays on the scoreboard in the sixth, the Tigers appeared to be comfortably in front. Alex Avila followed up Austin Jackson's leadoff double with a ground ball through the right side in the first, easily scoring Jackson. Drabek settled down with a double play before retiring the side in the second, but Ryan Raburn's RBI double in the sixth, Miguel Cabrera's sacrifice fly one batter later, and Casper Wells' solo shot in the seventh added to the Detroit total.
2010 Spring Training - Detroit Tigers
News & Features
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- Quick hits
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Sights & Sounds
Spring Training Info
Up next for the Blue Jays: Left-hander Ricky Romero will be making his second start of the spring when the Blue Jays visit the Pirates at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. Romero made his Grapefruit League debut against the Tigers and allowed four runs on five hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings. The likely Opening Day starter for Toronto threw almost exclusively sinkers during his first outing, as he continues to try and perfect the pitch prior to the start of the regular season.
Up next for the Tigers: After split-squad road games Saturday, the Tigers reunite at Joker Marchant Stadium on Sunday behind Phil Coke in his third spring start, against the Phillies at 1:05 p.m. ET. Duane Below, Ryan Perry, Jose Valverde, Lester Oliveros and Brad Thomas are also slated to pitch for Detroit opposite Philadelphia starter Kyle Kendrick. The game will be broadcast on MLB.com Gameday Audio and over the air in Detroit on 97.1 FM and AM 1270.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.



