Tigers tear down Canada's Blue Jays on the 4th of July, 11-1

Tigers starter Justin Verlander allowed only three hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts as Detroit Tigers celebrated the 4th of July by pounding out 16 hits in an 11-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada.

Verlander didn’t allow his first hit until the 4th inning. Miguel Cabrera sat out with a sore back that had bothered for the past two days and Omar Infante remained out with a shin contusion he suffered in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Austin Jackson made up for their absence by going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Andy Dirks and Jhonny Peralta also contributed with RBI doubles in the 3rd inning to give the Tigers a four-run cushion.

Thanks to Kansas City's 10-7 win over the Indians, the Tigers now lead the AL Central division by a game & a half and look to expand that lead this weekend in Cleveland for a 3-game series, starting this Friday night at 7 pm.