‘Not out of the woods’: Jasper wildfire still out of control, hotter weather expected

TORONTO – Back-to-back homers from Joey Loperfido and Addison Barger in the ninth inning steered the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-4 walk-off win against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.

Loperfido and Barger’s bombs off Los Angeles reliever Roansy Contreras (2-3) extended the Blue Jays (61-68) homer streak to 12 games as the Angels (54-75) dropped their third in a row before 25,421 at Rogers Centre.

Chad Green (4-3) pitched the ninth for Toronto.

The four runs surrendered in the second inning by Chris Bassitt pushed the Angles out front.

Bassitt gave up four hits and two walks, striking out six. He lasted six innings and retired the last 10 batters he faced.

The big blow in the second inning was Jo Adell’s two-run double off the right-centre wall.

Bassitt began the second inning by hitting former Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar on the left elbow. He scored on Anthony Rendon’s double into the left-field corner.

Bassitt issued a two-out walk to rookie Niko Kavadas. A double steal moved Rendon to third and Kavadas to second. Adell’s double made it 3-0.

Adell scored on Taylor Ward’s single to left.

The home team made it close with a two-run fourth inning and added another run in the sixth.

On both occasions, Daulton Varsho singled and scored to extend his career-long on-base streak to 20 games, the longest current streak in the American League.

Varsho scored on Alejandro Kirk’s ground out to third in the fourth and Kirk’s single to left two innings later. Ernie Clement singled home Spencer Horwitz for the other run in the fourth after the latter doubled to left.

Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz left after Loperfido’s double to begin the seventh. Kochanowicz, who was making his fifth career start, gave up three runs on seven hits with a strikeout.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was given the night off, but he caught the ceremonial first pitch from Canadian Olympian Summer McIntosh, who wore her three gold medals from Paris.

OH DANNY BOY

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed former Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen will start in the resumption of the June 26 suspended game at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon.

Jansen will make history as the first person to play for both teams in a game. The Red Sox traded for him on July 27.

“Yeah, he’s catching,” Cora told reporters on Friday. “Let’s make history.”

Severe weather forced the game to be suspended two months ago.

ON DECK

Toronto right-hander Bowden Francis (6-3) will start the third game of the four-game set against the Angels on Saturday. Los Angeles will counter with righty Carson Fulmer (0-4).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Toronto police are looking for a 33-year-old man after two women were found dead in a west-end home.

Police say they received a call in the afternoon for a well-being check at a house in Etobicoke and found the women.

They say the man and women were related.

Joseph Ayala is wanted for second-degree murder.

He is described as five-foot-11, with a shaved head, and police say he is known to wear a cowboy hat, black cowboy boots and a jacket with tassels on the sleeve.

People are being urged to call 911 and to not approach if they see the man, as he is considered dangerous.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VICTORIA – The office of British Columbia’s auditor general says he found two “significant errors” in the New Democrat government’s year-end public financial statements, but the Ministry of Finance says it’s been advised to continue using what it says are long-standing accounting practices.

Michael Pickup says in a statement the errors could mislead users of the financial statements, but does not suggest wrongdoing.

Finance Minister Katrine Conroy released the government’s audited financial statements Thursday for last fiscal year, which peg the province’s deficit at $5.035 billion, lower than a previous forecast of $5.9 billion.

Pickup, who was not available for further comment, says in the statement one error involves how the government reports money from the federal government and other sources, and the second relates to the province understating contractual obligations.

Pickup, whose office has previously stated similar concerns, says revenues this year were understated by $7.67 billion and liabilities overstated by the same amount, while contractual obligations that are part of long-term contracts were understated by $5.7 billion.

The Ministry of Finance says in a statement it will continue to work with the Office of the Auditor General on future financial statements.

“The auditor general has identified two points of reservation, both of which continue from the prior years,” said the statement.

“The ministry reviews these recommendations each year and has taken the comptroller general’s advice not to make any changes to the long-standing practices in these areas.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.