Blue Jays' Ernie Clement finishes home run shy of cycle against Tigers

Cody Ponce impressed in his spring debut, striking out two batters in a clean inning of work, while Ernie Clement and Eloy Jimenez provided the bulk of the offence.

Clement wasted no time picking up where he left off last fall. The versatile infielder went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs, finishing just a home run short of the cycle.

He opened the game by ripping a line-drive double over the second baseman's head, then followed it up with a triple to the wall in right-centre field in his next at-bat.

Clement capped his afternoon with a two-run single to centre, continuing what has been an impressive run dating back to October.

During last year's postseason, Clement etched his name into the record books by collecting 30 hits in a single playoff run - the most ever - going 30-for-73 across 18 games over three rounds.

He scored 13 runs and drove in nine during that stretch, good for a .411 average. The hot streak has clearly carried into camp.

Earlier this spring, manager John Schneider joked that he doesn't need Clement to hit .400 over a full season.

For now, Clement is doing even better - batting .800 in limited Grapefruit League action.

Eloy Jimenez continues to make a strong case for a roster spot.

The 29-year-old slugger recorded two hits in three plate appearances, including a single and a double.

Both balls jumped off his bat - the single left at 111.1 mph and the double at 109.4 mph - the two hardest-hit balls of the game.

Toronto will look to turn its tie into a win on Thursday when the club returns to Dunedin to host the Miami Marlins at 1:07 p.m. ET. Kevin Gausman is scheduled to get the start.

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