Berrios dragged to worst start in two months, Blue Jays blitzed by Arraez’s Marlins | Canada News Media
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Berrios dragged to worst start in two months, Blue Jays blitzed by Arraez’s Marlins

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MIAMI — As wild as it would’ve been to suggest only 12 weeks ago as spring training broke, Jose Berrios entered Monday’s start against the Miami Marlins as the Toronto Blue Jays’ most reliable source of length from its rotation.

He’d pitched into the sixth inning in each of his last 11 outings. He’d gone at least five innings in 13 of his 14 starts. Kevin Gausman’s done that 12 of his 15 times out; Chris Bassitt in 11 of 15.

But facing a plucky, contact-oriented Marlins team that’s been quietly piling up wins while playing one of MLB’s softest schedules, Berrios couldn’t make it 14 of 15. He bled base hits from the jump, got dragged deep into counts, and threw 30 pitches in two of his four innings as the Marlins wore on Berrios throughout his worst start in over two months and blitzed the Blue Jays 11-0.

“They made him work. Threw a lot of pitches. Ran deep counts. I think the execution just wasn’t quite there with either fastball or breaking ball,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “Good lineup, they’re playing well right now. And I think pitch count just got him today.”

Blue Jays’ Schneider on inconsistent pitching of late: ‘It puts you in a bind’

After back-to-back games that saw Toronto’s starter depart in the fourth inning — one by design in Saturday’s bullpen game; the other by necessity as Bassitt struggled to contain hard contact Sunday — this was the last thing the Blue Jays needed. They’ve now essentially thrown three consecutive bullpen days, asking relievers and a position player to record 40 of 72 outs over that span.

Here’s a sentence: Good thing the Blue Jays recalled Trent Thornton Monday as an insurance policy, optioning Bowden Francis to open a roster spot. He followed Berrios and threw 24 pitches over two clean innings, buying Schneider some much-needed breathing room in the middle of Monday’s debacle.

But Schneider was still forced to use Nate Pearson on back-to-back days for only the third time this season — he threw 22 pitches while giving up three runs on Sunday — which did not go well. The Marlins shortened up and put wood on the big right-hander’s big velocity, fouling off seven upper-90’s-to-low-100’s fastballs while putting two others in play.

After allowing five of the six batters he faced to reach, Pearson gave way to Mitch White, who also worked the day prior, throwing 31 pitches. He surrendered Luis Arraez’s fifth single of the night — the contact king’s third five-hit performance of the season and second in three days raised his batting average to .400 — before allowing the rest of the runners Pearson left behind to score as the snowball barrelled downhill.

Marlins’ Arraez dominates Blue Jays, rockets back to .400 with five-hit night

Utility infielder Ernie Clement took the mound in the eighth, chucking an inning of batting practice at 50-80 mph, and earned three outs on 18 pitches.

You hate having a position player out there at any point in time,” Schneider said. “Unfortunately, that’s where we landed today.”

Yusei Kikuchi — effectively wild at the best of times — starts Tuesday, which is no given for a deep outing. The Blue Jays have been reticent to allow Kikuchi, who began the season as the club’s fifth starter, to journey too far into a third trip through the order, routinely pulling him after five innings even with pitch counts in the 80’s.

Berrios not surprised with Arraez’s absurd batting average: ‘I’m happy for him’

But given how things have gone lately — plus the looming reality of a 12:10 p.m. ET start Wednesday — Schneider may not enjoy that luxury if Kikuchi is anything close to pitch efficient.

Rolling a four-man rotation and routinely sending pitching coach Pete Walker to the bullpen phone early in games, Schneider’s in-game decision-making over the last week has been less about putting pitchers in optimal matchups and more about deciphering who can get his team its requisite 27 — often 24 on this losing road trip — outs.

Blue Jays crushing loss to Marlins displays how team hasn’t connected on all fronts

“It puts you in a bind,” Schneider said. “You get guys over-worked a little bit and I think you see the results, too.”

Berrios was able to contain the Marlins attack early Monday, casually working his way out of a two-on, none-out jam in the first and stranding a one-out double in the second. But after Arraez led off the third with a single, as he does, Jorge Soler punished a 2-0 Berrios breaking ball 411-feet over the left-centre field wall for a two-run shot.

“We threw him a sinker and then a curveball for a ball,” Berrios said. “And then when I tried to make that curveball for a strike, I left it right in the middle and he got me.”

And the loud contact didn’t end there, as it took a tremendous diving effort by Kevin Kiermaier to rob Bryan De La Cruz of a hit in right-centre before Jesus Sanchez rocketed a full-count slurve to the base of the left field wall for a double. Sanchez ultimately scored on a Garrett Cooper single to shallow left-centre.

Blue Jays’ Kiermaier adds to his highlight reel with another diving snag

After a mound visit from Walker, Berrios got himself out of it with a pair of strikeouts. But not before throwing 34 pitches in the inning. Considering his ballooning pitch count, Berrios beginning the fourth by loading the bases with a walk, hit batter, and Arraez’s third single of the night — also his 100th hit of the season in only his 67th game — was less than ideal.

And so, Thornton began to warm in the Blue Jays bullpen as the runs began to cross home plate. The first on a sacrifice fly; the next on a groundout to first. By the time he got out of it, Berrios had thrown 100 pitches and allowed five runs on eight hits. Which is where his night ended as the Blue Jays got less than five innings from a starter for the fourth time in five games.

“They were taking good pitches. In and off. Pitches that looked like a strike but were off. They were taking it — they weren’t swinging at that pitch. So, I think that’s why they got better results against me,” Berrios said. “I was trying to be aggressive, attack them. I was trying to throw quality pitches. But they were taking them. So, I was getting behind them. They made me work. I threw 100 pitches in just four innings. But I’m just trying to compete. And they did better than me.”

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays offence couldn’t sustain any of the momentum it generated Sunday during a mini, six-run breakout in Texas. Toronto hitters went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and squandered what few opportunities they generated, scoring fewer than four runs for the fifth time in six games. It was Toronto’s first shutout of the season, snapping a 91-game streak of scoring at least one run — the third-longest stretch in franchise history.

Danny Jansen led off the third with an opposite field double off the end of his bat and advanced on a Cavan Biggio grounder to the right side. But neither Kiermaier (soft groundout) nor George Springer (strikeout chasing a slider) could cash him.

Similar refrain in the fourth, as Daulton Varsho and Bo Bichette singles put runners on first and second with none out for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who promptly grounded into a double play on the first pitch he saw. Guerrero swung at a good pitch to hit and the ball came off his bat at 113.7-m.p.h., his seventh-hardest hit ball in play of the season and the fourth-hardest hit double play ball across MLB this season.

“It’s been the theme for us a little bit. Looking at Vladdy’s double play — he hits it, whatever he did, 114. That’s kind of where we’re at,” Schneider said. “We’ve been talking about it for a little bit. And hopefully the numbers neutralize and things start going our way.”

Spencer Horwitz — elevated to the five hole in only his second MLB game as the club sought to space out its left-handed hitters and optimize matchups on a Marlins bullpen day — worked a long plate appearance with Varsho on third, but went down looking at a called third strike at the letters.

Base hits by Kiermaier, Horwitz, Springer, and Bichette were stranded in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.

“You need to string together a couple of hits with guys on,” Schneider said. “Whether it’s getting a guy in from third with less than two or getting a couple of hits in a row like we did yesterday in Texas. And, sooner or later, you’ve got to hit a home run with a couple guys on base, too.”

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New York Rangers lean on depth for decisive 7-2 win over Montreal Canadiens

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MONTREAL – On a night when New York’s top line was missing in action, the bit players grabbed the spotlight and led the Rangers to a commanding 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

“That’s the kind of team we have,” said Filip Chytil, who led the Rangers with a pair of power-play goals Tuesday. “The guys on the top line had chances but when they don’t score we have three other lines to pick up the slack.”

The Rangers’ dominance was reflected in the amount of time they spent in the Canadiens zone and their 45-23 edge in shots.

“If you’ve watched us practice, you know that’s something we work on all the time,” said Chytil. “When we get the puck, we want to hold on to it.”

The Rangers grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by Mika Zibanejad at the 56-second mark and Jonny Brodzinski at 2:05, but it was Montreal which pressed the play in the first minute.

“I thought we had a good start but they turned it around on us,” said Montreal coach Martin St. Louis.

Lane Hutson controlled the puck off the opening faceoff and had two early shots, both of which were blocked by New York’s Jacob Trouba.

“That was huge for us,” said Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. “We know (Trouba) can generate offence but he can come up with those big defensive plays.”

Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault exited at 11:05 of the first period after giving up four goals on 10 shots. Zibanejad, Brodzinski, Chytil and Reilly Smith all scored on the Habs’ starter.

His replacement, Cayden Primeau, stopped 33 of 35 shots, giving up goals to Braden Schneider, Kaapo Kakko and Chytil.

Nick Suzuki scored both of the Montreal goals, his first strikes of the season

“It didn’t really feel like a 7-2 game until the end there when you look up at the scoreboard,” Suzuki said. “But we obviously keep digging ourselves these holes, and against a good team like that, our details early on have to be really sharp. And we were definitely a little sleepy coming out and they jumped on us.”

Hutson led the Canadiens in ice time with 24:10 but this wasn’t one of his better games. Smith scored on a breakaway after taking the puck off Hutson’s stick and the rookie was minus-4 for the night.

After Tuesday’s morning practice, the Canadiens announced forward Juraj Slafkovsky will miss at least a week with an upper-body injury. Defenceman Kaiden Guhle missed a second consecutive game with an upper-body injury but the team said it isn’t a long-term ailment.

The injury situation didn’t get any better after Trouba flattened Justin Barron at 7:11 of the third period. Barron didn’t return to the ice but there was no immediate word on his condition.

The Rangers welcomed back defenceman Ryan Lindgren, who made his season debut after missing five games with a jaw injury.

Before the game, 14 players from the Canadiens’ team that won four consecutive Stanley Cups between 1976 and 1979 were introduced at the Bell Centre. Among them were Hockey Hall of Fame members Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Bob Gainey and Ken Dryden.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

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Ohtani’s historic 50-50 ball sells at auction for nearly $4.4M amid ongoing dispute over ownership

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Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million, a record high price not just for a baseball, but for any ball in any sport, the auctioneer said Wednesday.

Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season, reaching the milestone on Sept. 19 when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his second of three homers against the Marlins.

“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on sports, and I’m thrilled for the winning bidder,” Ken Goldin, the founder and CEO of auctioneer Goldin Auctions said in a statement.

The auction opened on Sept. 27 with a starting bid of $500,000 and closed just after midnight on Wednesday. The auctioneer said it could not disclose any information about the winning bidder.

The auction has been overshadowed by the litigation over ownership of the ball. Christian Zacek walked out of Miami’s LoanDepot Park with the ball after gaining possession in the left-field stands. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov each claim in separate lawsuits that they grabbed the ball first.

All the parties involved in the litigation agreed that the auction should continue.

Matus’ lawsuit claims that the Florida resident — who was celebrating his 18th birthday — gained possession of the Ohtani ball before Zacek took it away. Davidov claims in his suit that he was able to “firmly and completely grab the ball in his left hand while it was on the ground, successfully obtaining possession of the 50/50 ball.”

Ohtani and the Dodgers are preparing for Game 1 of the World Series scheduled for Friday night.

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LeBron and Bronny James make history as the NBA’s first father-son duo to play together

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James gave his 20-year-old son a pep talk before they rose from the Lakers bench. Amid rising cheers, they walked together to the scorer’s table — and then they stepped straight into basketball history.

LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to play in the NBA together Tuesday night during the Los Angeles Lakers ‘ season opener, fulfilling a dream set out a few years ago by LeBron, the top scorer in league history.

“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, it’s a moment I’m never going to forget,” LeBron said. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”

Father and son checked into the game against Minnesota simultaneously with four minutes left in the second quarter, prompting a big ovation from a home crowd aware of the enormity of the milestone. The 39-year-old LeBron had already started the game and played 13 minutes before he teamed up with his 20-year-old son for about 2 1/2 minutes of action.

LeBron James is one of the greatest players in NBA history, a four-time champion and 20-time All-Star, while LeBron James Jr. was a second-round pick by the Lakers last summer. They are the first father and son to play in the world’s top basketball league at the same time, let alone on the same team.

“Y’all ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree, though,” father told son on the bench before they checked in, an exchange captured by the TNT cameras and microphones. “Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard.”

Their time on court together was fast and furious, just as LeBron promised.

LeBron, who finished the night with 16 points, missed two perimeter shots before making a dunk. Bronny had an early offensive rebound and missed a tip-in, and his first NBA jump shot moments later was a 3-pointer that came up just short. He checked out one possession later with 1:19 left in the second quarter, getting another ovation.

Bronny didn’t play again in the Lakers’ 110-103 victory over the Timberwolves.

“(I) tried not to focus on everything that’s going on around me, and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”

After the final whistle on the Lakers’ first opening-night victory in LeBron’s seven seasons with the team, father and son also headed to the locker room together — but not before stopping in the tunnel to hug Savannah James, LeBron’s wife and Bronny’s mother. The entire family was in attendance to watch history — on little sister Zhuri’s 10th birthday, no less.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. also were courtside at the Lakers’ downtown arena to witness the same history they made in Major League Baseball. The two sluggers played 51 games together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991 as baseball’s first father-son duo.

The Jameses and the Griffeys met during pregame warmups for some photos and a warm chat between two remarkable family lines.

LeBron first spoke about his dream to play alongside Bronny a few years ago, while his oldest son was still in high school. The dream became real after Bronny entered the draft as a teenager following one collegiate season, and the Lakers grabbed him with the 55th overall pick.

“I talked about it years and years ago, and for this moment to come, it’s pretty cool,” LeBron said. “I don’t know if it’s going to actually hit the both of us for a little minute, but when we really get to sit back and take it in, it’s pretty crazy. … But in the moment, we still had a job to do when we checked in. We wasn’t trying to make it a circus. We wasn’t trying to make it about us. We wanted to make it about the team.”

LeBron and Bronny joined a small club of father-son professional athletes who played together. The Griffeys made history 34 years ago, and they even homered in the same game on Sept. 14, 1990.

Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines and his namesake son also accomplished the feat with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.

In hockey, Gordie Howe played alongside his two sons, Mark and Marty, with the WHA’s Houston Aeros and Team Canada before one NHL season together on the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, when Gordie was 51.

While the other family pairings on this list happened late in the fathers’ careers, LeBron shows no signs of slowing down or regressing as he begins his NBA record-tying 22nd season.

LeBron averaged more than 25 points per game last year for his 20th consecutive season, and he remains the most important player on the Lakers alongside Anthony Davis as they attempt to recapture the form that won a championship in 2020 and got them to the Western Conference finals in 2023.

Bronny survived cardiac arrest and open heart surgery in the summer of 2023, and he went on to play a truncated freshman season at the University of Southern California. He declared for the draft anyway, and the Lakers eagerly used the fourth-to-last pick in the draft on the 6-foot-2 guard.

LeBron spent the summer in Europe with the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Paris Olympics, while Bronny played for the Lakers in summer league. They started practicing together with the Lakers before training camp.

The duo first played together in the preseason, logging four minutes during a game against Phoenix just outside Palm Springs earlier this month.

“It’s been a treat,” LeBron said at Tuesday’s morning shootaround. “In preseason, the practices, just every day … bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about, and how to prepare every day as a professional.”

The Lakers were fully aware of the history they would make with this pairing, and coach JJ Redick spoke with the Jameses recently about a plan to make it happen early in the regular season.

The presence of the Griffeys likely made it an inevitability for opening night, even though Redick said the Lakers still wanted it “to happen naturally, in the flow of the game.”

The Lakers have declined to speculate on how long Bronny will stay on their NBA roster. Los Angeles already has three other small guards on its roster, and Bronny likely needs regular playing time to raise his game to a consistent NBA standard.

Those factors add up to indicate Bronny is likely to join the affiliate South Bay Lakers of the G League at some point soon. LeBron and Redick have both spoken positively about the South Bay team, saying that player development is a key part of the Lakers organization.

Miami forward Kevin Love, who knew all the James children — Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri — from his time as LeBron’s teammate in Cleveland, said it was “an unbelievable moment” to see father and son playing together.

“I grew up a Mariners fan, so I got to see Griffey and then Griffey Sr. But this is different, because LeBron is still a top-five player in the league,” Love said. “This game, man. It’s why we have that ($76 billion) TV deal. The storylines and the things that happen like this, it’s an unbelievable story. This is really cool to see.”

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed.

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