DETROIT -- Mark DeRosa and J.P. Arencibia brought some life to the Toronto Blue Jays' dugout.
DeRosa delivered a two-run, pinch-hit double in the sixth inning and Arencibia hit a three-run, go-ahead double in the seventh as the Blue Jays erased a five-run deficit and defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-6 at chilly, damp Comerica Park on Wednesday.
Toronto, one of the favorites in the American League East after an offseason shopping spree, needed a jolt after a 2-5 start.
"It's been quiet, and rightfully so," DeRosa said of the mood inside the dugout. "We haven't played well. You try to keep it upbeat, try to keep it energetic, but when you've got a 2-5 record and you see another slipping away, you kind of want to push the throttle a little bit. We needed something to happen like this."
DeRosa drove in three runs and reliever Aaron Loup recorded his first major-league victory with an inning of scoreless relief. Casey Janssen recorded his second save for Toronto, which ended a five-game losing streak to Detroit. The game was delayed two hours and 29 minutes by rain.
Clutch hits have been scarce for the Blue Jays, who were hitting .135 with runners in scoring position entering the game. They also benefited during their four-run seventh when Brayan Villarreal (0-1) walked the only three batters he faced.
"No doubt we took advantage of some of their mistakes, and in the previous games we've been missing those breaks," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "That's basically it. We've got good hitters, and it was just a matter of time. You look down that lineup, and there were only a couple of guys who were hot."
Jhonny Peralta had his first three-hit game this season and drove in a run for the Tigers.
Arencibia's three-run double to left-center off Octavio Dotel put the Blue Jays on top 8-6. That was preceded by Villarreal's wild streak, which forced in the first run of Toronto's four-run outburst.
"Frustrating, because we really didn't give ourselves a chance," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We walked the guys. I thought (starter) Rick (Porcello) did a good job. Probably that long (fifth) inning might have hurt him a little bit, but overall he did a pretty good job. Obviously, he kept the ball on the ground for the most part, until the last inning after getting the one out there. Like I say, you don't give yourselves a chance when you walk people."
Detroit catcher Alex Avila said Villarreal was close with many of his balls.
"He was just trying to make sure that the ball was down," Avila said. "I mean, he wasn't missing by much. The balls after getting ahead of a couple of guys, they were down below the zone, but you've got to give them credit for laying off it. In those situations, especially with a lineup like that, you can't give free passes."
The Blue Jays' rally began in the sixth. Edwin Encarnacion's run-scoring double knocked out Porcello, and DeRosa followed with a two-run double off Darin Downs to make it 6-4.
"I was prepared from my days in the National League," said DeRosa, who is in his 16th season. "It taught me never to get caught off guard, so I went down underneath to get loose in case they brought in the lefty and Gibby wanted to make the switch. I was ready to go. I watched video on the guy and I felt good about the AB. It was an overall huge team win. We needed that one."
The Tigers gave Porcello some early support with a run in each of the first two innings. Prince Fielder had an RBI fielder's choice, beating out a potential double-play ball as Austin Jackson scored. Omar Infante's two-out single in the second knocked in Matt Tuiasosopo, who had reached on Emilio Bonifacio's fourth error this season.
Bonifacio cut Detroit's lead to 2-1 in the fifth with a two-out, bloop double. The Tigers responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning.
NOTES: The Blue Jays claimed outfielder Casper Wells off waivers from Seattle. Wells had 10 home runs and batted .228 in 93 games for the Mariners last season. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays designated reliever Alex Burnett for assignment. ... Encarnacion snapped an 0-for-19 drought with a fourth-inning double. ... Martinez returned after missing Detroit's 7-3 victory over Toronto on Tuesday with a cut on his right thumb that required eight stitches. ... Leyland reiterated before the game that Joaquin Benoit would handle the bulk of the closing duties but his relievers don't have defined roles. "I'm going to use anybody at any time," he said. ... Toronto's last win at Comerica Park was May 16, 2011. ... Miguel Cabrera has a .380 average with runners in scoring position since 2011, tops in the American League. ... Toronto third baseman Brett Lawrie, who has not played this season because of a left oblique strain, will participate in an extended spring training game Thursday. The club is hopeful Lawrie can rejoin them by next weekend's home series against New York.