WASHINGTON (AP) — Josh Bell hit a three-run homer off former teammate Brad Hand, and the Washington Nationals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 on Wednesday.
Juan Soto and Carter Kieboom also connected for Washington, which won back-to-back games for the first time since July 27-29. The Nationals had dropped 12 of 13 prior to the two-game interleague series.
Marcus Semien homered twice and Teoscar Hernández went deep for the fourth consecutive game for Toronto, which has lost five of six since reaching a season-high 11 games over .500 on Aug. 11. The Blue Jays completed interleague play with a 14-6 record, all against the NL East, but went 1-3 against the fourth-place Nationals.
Hand (5-7), who was acquired on July 29 as part of Washington’s sell-off at the trade deadline, entered with one on in the seventh and Toronto clinging to a 5-4 lead. After Soto walked, Bell hit a go-ahead drive to right. Two batters later, Kieboom tacked on a solo shot to left.
Bell, who hit .113 with two homers and five RBIs in 53 April at-bats, has raised his average to .241. It’s his third career 20-homer season in his first year in Washington.
“Josh is quietly having a pretty good year,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “He has 20 home runs, 65 RBIs after the way he started. This guy has done a tremendous job for us.”
Toronto’s bullpen allowed 10 runs in eight innings during the two-game series. Hand is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in eight games since joining the Blue Jays.
“Most of the guys in the bullpen are kind of struggling right now,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “I trust Brad Hand to make an adjustment because he’s around and he’s been a closer before. He’s been good and bad, and of course today he was not good. That’s a fact. I trust him that he’ll make an adjustment and be better next outing.”
Mason Thompson (1-1) recorded the last two outs of the seventh for his first major league victory. Kyle Finnegan pitched 1 1/3 innings for his fourth save.
Washington starter Josiah Gray, acquired last month in the deal that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.
Gray has a 2.86 ERA in four starts with Washington. With Hernández’s homer in the second and Semien’s in the third, the seven earned runs he has allowed since the trade have come on solo homers.
Gray departed with a 4-2 lead, but it didn’t last long. Ryne Harper yielded Corey Dickerson’s two-run homer and Semien’s solo shot on consecutive pitches in the seventh.
Soto’s three-run homer in the first was all Washington could manage against José Berríos, who allowed five hits in five innings. He has a 3.80 ERA in four starts since he was acquired in a July 30 trade with Minnesota.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: LHP Tim Mayza was activated from the injured list and INF Kevin Smith was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo. RHP Alek Manoah was placed on the bereavement list and RHP Rafael Dolis was designated for assignment. Dolis was 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA in 39 games. … RHP Ross Stripling (oblique strain) won’t throw for the next 10 to 14 days. … Montoyo said he anticipates C Danny Jansen (hamstring strain) will begin a rehabilitation assignment by next week.
Nationals: C Alex Avila (calf strains) ran some Wednesday. Martinez said Avila would throw to bases prior to Friday’s game. … RHP Austin Voth pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts Tuesday in his first rehab appearance at Triple-A Rochester. Voth has been on the COVID-19 injured list since July 29. … RHP Tanner Rainey, demoted to Rochester last month, reported pain in his side and was shut down. An MRI exam was negative.
ON-BASE MACHINE
Soto walked three times in addition to his home run. Soto has reached safely in 27 of 41 plate appearances over the last 11 games (a .659 on-base percentage), hitting .435 (10 of 23) while walking 16 times and getting hit by a pitch once.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: Begin a seven-game homestand Friday when LHP Robbie Ray (9-5, 2.88 ERA) faces Detroit to open a three-game series.
Nationals: Open a three-city, nine-game road trip in Milwaukee on Friday. The Nationals have not announced their rotation plans.
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TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
