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TORONTO — The Detroit Tigers will start a former Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Saturday afternoon for the second game in a row in another attempt to end a losing streak that has reached 10 games.

Former Blue Jays left-hander Francisco Liriano could not do the job Friday night — allowing three runs in six innings — as the Blue Jays defeated the Tigers 3-2 in the opener of a four-game series at the Rogers Centre.

This time Briean Boddy-Calhoun Jersey , the former Blue Jay is Matt Boyd (4-6, 4.15 ERA), who will face Toronto right-hander Sam Gaviglio (2-2, 3.9 in the second game of the series.

The Tigers (36-47), who are 13-26 on the road, have lost 10 games in a row for the first time since Sept. 13-22, 2003, the season in which they lost 119 games.

“We had some opportunities, but it’s the same story,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “You pitch really good and you don’t score, or you don’t pitch good enough and it just extends on. The guys are really trying, they’re bothered out there and they’re frustrated. They want to win, the guys are really pushing hard in the dugout, but it’s just not happening right now.”

The Tigers have lost 11 of their past 13 games in Toronto.

The Blue Jays (38-43), who were returning from a 3-4 road trip that easily could have been better, have won nine of their past 10 home games. They are 21-20 at home.

Boyd took the loss Sunday at Cleveland when he allowed six runs Patrick DiMarco Jersey , eight hits and two walks while striking out five in three innings.

The start Saturday will be his 16th of the season.

In four career starts against the Blue Jays, Boyd is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA. He did not factor in the decision June 2 against Toronto at Comerica Park when he gave up four runs, six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out three.

Boyd, who was sent to the Tigers July 30, 2015, as part of the trade that sent David Price to the Blue Jays, is 0-3 with an 8.66 ERA in four career starts at the Rogers Centre.

Gaviglio will be making his 10th appearance and eighth start of the season.

In his past three starts, he is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA and has pitched only 12 innings.

He has faced the Tigers once in his career, allowing two runs in five innings in a no decision.

The Tigers have been outscored 64-26 during their losing streak.

Before the game Friday, the Blue Jays selected the contract of utility player Darnell Sweeney from Triple-A Buffalo. He was batting .232 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 47 games. He has played all infield positions except first base, both corner outfield positions and also pitched a scoreless inning.

Sweeney takes the roster spot of outfielder Steve Pearce, who was traded Thursday night to the Boston Red Sox for shortstop Santiago Espinal, who will play at Class A Dunedin.

Moving Pearce means that Kendrys Morales will again see regular use as the designated hitter and breaks up a logjam in the outfield. The Blue Jays return to four outfielders with Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk, Kevin Pillar and Curtis Granderson.

Espinal, 23 Quenton Nelson Jersey , batted .313 with seven homers and 32 RBIs in 65 games with Class A Salem in the Red Sox organization.

“Middle-of-the-diamond players, you can’t have enough of them,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Friday. “The athleticism, that’s where it all begins. If you can play in the middle, you can often play anywhere else, so that’s first and foremost. (Espinal) is an above-average runner and performing well at a decent level, so there’s plenty to like.”
Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said the ”overwhelming likelihood” is that the team will keep its No. 1 overall pick and not trade it away.

McDonough made the comment Friday after the first of what will be many pre-draft workouts of players on the Suns’ practice court.

The leading candidates for that No. 1 almost certainly will be worked out privately, with the exception of Luka Doncic, the European sensation who still is playing in Spain.

”Obviously the agents have a lot of say,” McDonough said. ”They have a strong voice in the process. They’re worried about injuries, which we understand is part of it. So we’d love them to come in and compete against the other top guys at their position. I think for the guys in the mix at No. 1 that’s going to be tough for us to put together.”

The Suns won the lottery for the first No. 1 pick in the franchise’s 50-year history. In the days that followed, McDonough said the team would be open to trading that pick. But that seemed less likely when he described the criteria such a deal would have to entail.

”It would have to be a young, proven star player with multiple years on his contract, multiple years of team control,” McDonough said. ”Once you start whittling down the list, that list probably shrinks to a handful of players if not fewer players than that. So I think the overwhelming likelihood is that we keep the pick. However Clint Boling Jersey , we’re open, if those teams call us or we call them. But as of now obviously we’re planning on keeping it.”

McDonough insists there are a few players in the mix, but the names at the top according to most observers are Doncic and Arizona’s Deandre Ayton.

Born and raised in the Bahamas, the 7-foot-1 Ayton played his one college season just down Interstate 10 at the University of Arizona, where he averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

McDonough said he believes questions about Ayton’s defense stem from the fact he had to play alongside another 7-footer, Dusan Ristic, in college.

”So he was guarding away from the basket on the perimeter,” McDonough said. ”In the NBA, obviously, he’s a center. He’s a five. He slides well. He moves his feet well. He’s a tremendous athlete in terms of strength, fluidity, coordination, all of that.”

McDonough said Ayton ”has a high-level feel for the game, especially on the offensive end of the court. And from my experience guys who have that at the offensive end of the floor usually, in time, are able to translate that to the defensive end of the court as well.”

McDonough said he plans to try to get to Europe one more time to see Doncic.

”We’ve seen him play a lot Mike White Jersey ,” McDonough said. ”I’ve personally seen him four or five times in the last seven or eight months, (assistant general manager) Pat Connelly’s seen him. Igor’s seen him more than anybody.”

New Suns coach Igor Kokoskov coached Doncic on the Slovenian national team that won the European championship last year.

McDonough was asked about the observation that Doncic lacks high-level athleticism. But the Suns GM noted that the young European guard is ”really, really big” – 6-foot-6 and weighs 218 pounds.

”Because he’s so skilled at that size and has such a good feel, I think you don’t realize on tape how big he is,” McDonough said. ”He’s able to jab and create his own shot. He’s able to lower his shoulder and create space to overpower defenders. He’s adept at getting to the free throw line. I don’t have any concerns with him physically.”

On Friday, the Suns worked out a group of guards, most of them four-year college players. They included Tra Holder from Arizona State.

The Suns also have the No. 16 pick overall in the draft and, in the second round, Nos. 30 and 59.

But that No. 1 pick is the big one, something neither the Suns nor McDonough have dealt with before.

”I think there are some drafts that you prefer not to have the No. 1 pick just because there isn’t a player worthy of that,” he said. ”I think in some ways you’re set up to fail in that scenario. This year we feel the opposite. We feel there are four or five players who in normal drafts would be in the mix for No. 1 if not be the No. 1 pick.

”We view that as a good problem to have. It’s a really talented draft. I think this will be one that you look back on historically and say that was one of the better drafts in the last decade. And it’s great to kick it off No. 1.”

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