The Toronto Blue Jays have had an up and down season this year.
The same can be said for right-hander Alek Manoah, who was off to such a bad start that the Blue Jays sent him down to the Florida Complex League.
However, he worked his way back and made the start against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
Manoah allowed just one run on five hits over six innings while striking out eight and not allowing a walk.
The Blue Jays won, 12-2, over the Tigers and moved into sole possession of the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League.
On Twitter, Bob Nightengale posted some stats from Manoah’s return.
The Toronto #BlueJays, 49-40, rout the #Tigers, 12-2, moving ahead of the NY #Yankees for the final AL wild-card spot.
Most important, Alek Manoah, has fabulous game in his return:
6 IP
5 hits
1 run
0 walks
8 strikeouts.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 8, 2023
The Blue Jays are going to need Manoah as they make a push for their third postseason berth in the last four years.
The hard-throwing right-hander owns a 5.91 ERA and a record of 2-7 in his 14 starts.
However, Manoah looked more like his old self on Friday against the Tigers, which is what the Blue Jays will need down the stretch.
The Blue Jays improved to 49-40 and passed the New York Yankees in the AL East.
Manoah returning to form should be a major boost for the Blue Jays as they look to make a push towards October.
Toronto has now won four consecutive games and six of their past 10.
They even came to within seven games of first place in the AL East as the Tampa Bay Rays suffered their sixth straight loss.
Manoah led the way and got himself back on track with a dominant performance.
NEXT:
The Blue Jays Are On A Promising Run With Their Skipper