BALTIMORE – To this point in 2023, the Orioles have been enjoying an incredible season filled with breakout performances and more wins than most would have predicted. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have been a little underwhelming all year. Not bad – far from it, in fact – but just good enough that you see the potential and wonder why it’s not on display more often.
Maybe that’ll be the story of the season. Baltimore’s still the team that’s on track for a division title and a first-round playoff bye, after all. But for at least one night, the Blue Jays were the ones who turned a tense night of baseball into a memorable win.
Brandon Belt made sure of that when he led off the top of the 10th inning with his third home run in the last two games, a two-run shot that set in motion a 6-3 Blue Jays win on Tuesday.
“When you get to this time of year and you’re on the cusp of being in the playoffs, you’ve got to have urgency,” Belt said. “You can’t put pressure on yourself because that can make you do things you don’t normally do. But you’ve got to have a sense of urgency to get out there and win ballgames now.”
Thanks in large part to Belt, the Blue Jays won the opener of this three game series at Camden Yards, improving to 70-56 on the season and gaining on the Orioles, who now are 7.5 games ahead of third-place Toronto in the AL East. But even if the Orioles take the division, these wins are still critically important since the Blue Jays are chasing the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros for wild-card position.
Belt’s recent power outburst a timely boost for Blue Jays’ lineup
“Total team effort,” said manager John Schneider. “Hopefully we get on a nice little run.”
Late Tuesday, both Seattle and Houston won, meaning the Blue Jays remain one game behind the Mariners for a playoff spot.
While the Blue Jays have elite pitching with an MLB-best 3.65 ERA entering play Tuesday, their power game has been middling this season. They entered play ranked 15th in baseball in home runs, and were one of four teams without a 20-homer hitter along with the Guardians, Reds and Giants.
Yet because of Belt’s 14th home run, they were able to take advantage of some more strong relief pitching and win their third in a row. Considering that many of the Blue Jays’ established bats are hitting for less power than anticipated, this production from the veteran designated hitter/first baseman has been even more important.
“I feel pretty good right now,” Belt acknowledged. “I think that’s a pretty obvious to say.”
Blue Jays’ simplified, aggressive approach leads to clutch 10th inning vs. Orioles
Starter Yusei Kikuchi was effective through four innings, but he ran into trouble in the fifth after allowing singles by Jorge Mateo and Adley Rutschman to open the inning. Mateo would score when a double steal forced an errant throw by catcher Danny Jansen and the next batter, Austin Hays, walked.
That prompted a call to the bullpen for Yimi Garcia, who promptly allowed a Jordan Westburg RBI double that was charged to Kikuchi. All told, the left-hander pitched 4.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking one.
“I wasn’t at my best,” Kikuchi said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “I think I was nibbling a little bit too much. But I was able to still like go into the (game) with the mentality of attacking hitters (and) I’m just glad that we won.”
To his credit, he handled Blue Jays nemesis Ryan Mountcastle effectively, striking him out twice and later inducing a fly-ball out. Considering Mountcastle’s previous numbers against Kikuchi – seven-for-12 with four home runs – that represents a significant step.
“I was able to attack inside with the fastball and then set him up for breaking stuff that went from strike to ball,” Kikuchi said.
Later, relievers Trevor Richards, Jordan Hicks, Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza and Jordan Romano would each pitch scoreless innings against a potent Baltimore offence.
As Schneider said, “They’ve been on a mission.”
On the injury front, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returned to the lineup after exiting Sunday’s game with left middle finger discomfort. Before the game Guerrero Jr. said he felt fine, and he’d later collect three hits, including an extra-innings double that led to a valuable insurance run.
Elsewhere in the lineup, Daulton Varsho homered while Kevin Kiermaier and Matt Chapman contributed two-hit games.
“That’s what it’s going to take for us to win this thing,” said Belt. “Everybody’s got to be contributing. And we’ve seen that from us the past couple days. I think it has a lot to do with us just getting our guys back. (After) a lot of injuries, we’ve got them back in the lineup and we’re seeing the fruits of that.”
Blue Jays’ Bichette makes terrific sliding stop, cannon throw to make key out vs. Orioles
Speaking of returning players, the game might have ended differently were it not for Bo Bichette, who robbed Rutschman of a hit with a spectacular defensive effort with the go-ahead runner on second in the ninth inning. It was an impressive play under any circumstances but especially given that it’s Bichette’s third game back from a knee injury.
“Hell of a play,” Schneider said “That’s a game saver right there.”
In that sense, this win was a total team effort, with strong defence, dominant relief pitching and timely power. If only it were always so simple.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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