Zach Miner (1-0) held the Blue Jays to six hits and one run in 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out four. Miner recorded his first major-league victory at the Rogers Centre on June 10, 2006.

Brandon Inge supplied the rest of the Tigers' offence with a solo homer, his third in three games.

The Tigers, who finished fifth in the American League Central in 2008, are ahead of last year's schedule when they opened by losing their first seven games.

Detroit 5, Toronto 1

Jays right-hander Jesse Litsch (0-1) allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

The Jays, who showed plenty of pop over the first two games of the series, couldn't come up with the big hit when it counted yesterday.

While both starters struggled in the first inning, the Tigers emerged with a 3-1 lead, as Cabrera followed one-out singles by Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez with his first homer of the season.

The Blue Jays opened what appeared to be a promising bottom of the first with doubles by Marco Scutaro and Aaron Hill. Alex Rios singled and Vernon Wells walked to load the bases, but Hill was forced out at home on Adam Lind's grounder to third and Rios was thrown out trying to score after tagging up on Scott Rolen's shallow fly out to right-fielder Josh Anderson.

Cabrera hit a solo home run in the fourth off the centre-field windows to put Detroit ahead 4-1.

Inge homered on a 2-2 cutter for his third of the season.

Miner left the game in the sixth after shortstop Ramon Santiago's two-out error put runners at first and second. Left-hander Bobby Seay came in to strike out Lyle Overbay, ending the threat.