TORONTO — As the Toronto Blue Jays begin wrapping up a three-week training camp that was anything but optimal by design, and only made less ideal as COVID-19 test results splintered the roster and Canadian public health officials left the team scrambling to find a regular season home, it’s fair to wonder how much impact it will all have on the team’s performance.
The regular season starts Friday, you’re surely aware. And the games begin to matter right away. Starting the year in a funk could sink the season. Starting it on a tear could make it. To a man, the Blue Jays believe they’re a better team than the baseball world at large does. But the pressure will be on to prove it right away if they’re going to hang around in MLB’s toughest division.
Amidst all the uncertainty, are they ready for the challenge?
“Everybody’s been great. I’m very lucky to have good kids here. Because with this uncertainty — like, we don’t know where we’re going to play and finding out yesterday that we’re not going to play here — a lot of things could go the wrong way,” said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo. “And I’m proud to say that this team’s ready to play, ready to go. They’re excited. They feel good about themselves. The only thing we need to know right now is where we’re going to play. And then we’re going to be OK — for sure.”
We shall see. It’s impossible to say what form the club’s in from the smattering of intrasquad games they’ve played to this point. It’s a zero-sum proposition. When Tanner Roark gives up a centre-field bomb to Alejandro Kirk, does that mean he’s having trouble getting a minor-leaguer out? Or does it mean Kirk’s capable of hitting big-league pitching?
Regardless, we appear to have seen the last of those results, as the Blue Jays have played their final intrasquad game, opting instead to hold live batting practice sessions Sunday and Monday for pitchers and hitters who still need to get work in. Following Monday’s workout, the club will fly to Boston for exhibition games against the Red Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday. From there, they’ll head to St. Petersburg, where the regular season gets underway Friday night at Tropicana Field.
Montoyo estimates his hitters were able to get north of 40 plate appearances each during camp, which is around what they might have at the end of a traditional spring training. Of course, intrasquad scrimmages and live batting practice sessions can’t truly simulate the stresses and demands of a live regular season game. But a spring training contest — in which hitters face a random minor-league pitcher with little command they’ve never seen before and may never see again — doesn’t exactly do the trick either.
For his part, Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez says he feels ready for the season. He chose not to participate in Sunday’s live batting practice, but will do so Monday before finally getting live reps against an actual opponent in Boston this week.
“They’ve been doing an excellent job here with the at-bats that we’ve taken every day. And I feel really good,” Hernandez said. “For me, I always work hard. It doesn’t matter if we’re here early or late. I’m trying to do my work as soon as I get here, I get warmed up, have my hot water, get into the training room, get all my stuff done, go to the cage for half an hour, and then go to the field. I do the same thing every day.”
Hernandez says a big focus this off-season, this spring, and now through summer training camp has been his two-strike approach. The 27-year-old has posted strikeout rates north of 30 per cent each of the last three seasons, and while his power profile likely won’t let him reduce that number too far, he’d clearly like to improve on it.
Last season, Hernandez struck out in 55.6 per cent of his plate appearances that went to two strikes. MLB average was 42.8 per cent. Of course, good outcomes are extremely unlikely in two-strike counts, as the league hit .173/.247/.286 with two strikes last season. But putting the ball in play at least allows a better chance of something good happening.
“You have to get your mind ready for two strikes. It’s going to be hard,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes you have to shorten your swing, you have to put the ball in play. And you’re not going to get good pitches to hit when you’ve got two strikes. I think that’s the hardest part.”
Livestream Toronto Blue Jays games all season with Sportsnet NOW. Plus, watch marquee MLB matchups, the post-season and World Series.
On the pitching side, reliever Anthony Bass says he had productive conversations with the club at the beginning of camp with regards to how much work he needed to get in over the three weeks. After throwing live batting practice on Saturday, he feels he’s adequately prepared for the season.
“The Jays have been great with asking me what I need to get ready. How many outings do I need? Do I need to take a break? Talking with the strength coaches, workouts, things like that,” he said. “It’s case by case. Some guys might need an extra outing or two. Starting pitchers are different cases. Being a reliever, I’m only going to go out there for an inning or two. So, it’s quicker for me to be ready.”
The Blue Jays will need Bass to be as prepared as possible come the end of this week, as he’s expected to face high leverage out of Toronto’s bullpen, protecting slim leads and getting the ball to closer Ken Giles in the ninth. Bass said that every time he took the mound at Rogers Centre over the last several weeks, he tried to treat it like it was a late-inning situation during a regular season game at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park.
“I play a game in my mind. And I take it very seriously when I go out there,” he said. “Because you can’t take anything for granted at this level. You’ve got to be locked in. As soon as you coast or get comfortable, that’s when you get beat. So, I try to prepare like it’s a game situation and that it’s July 24.”
Of course, some Blue Jays are on less firm standing than Hernandez and Bass and will continue competing for big-league roster spots this week. The club expects to travel around 35 players to Boston on Monday, paring the roster down to 30 from there for opening day.
Although he’s been steadily improving and playing long toss in recent days, Chase Anderson will begin the season on the injured list due to an oblique injury he suffered while warming up for a bullpen. That opens a clear lane for Trent Thornton to claim the fourth spot in Toronto rotation behind opening day starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, Matt Shoemaker, and Roark.
That still leaves one opening in Toronto’s five-man rotation. Asked Sunday to identify candidates for that spot, Montoyo refused, saying simply, “it’s a lot of guys.”
But that seems unlikely at this point in camp. The regular season begins in five days. And surely it would take an extremely dark horse to overcome one of Ryan Borucki, Anthony Kay or Nate Pearson in that race. For what it’s worth, Pearson will start one of the two games in Boston this week, facing the biggest test of his young career.
There is uncertainty on the position player side, as well. Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who experienced some left side discomfort during an intrasquad game this week, felt well enough to play catch on Sunday and could get into Monday’s live batting practice session. But his status will remain questionable until he takes more concrete steps.
Meanwhile, infielder Brandon Drury has remained in Dunedin throughout Blue Jays camp on the injured list for an undisclosed reason. Montoyo said Drury’s been able to participate in some baseball activities of late and could potentially join the club in Boston this week. But he wouldn’t commit one way or the other as to Drury’s status for opening day.
“I don’t know. That’s a day-to-day deal,” Montoyo said. “I’ll tell you more when I see him, see what he looks like and how he feels. And then we’ll make a decision. That’s probably going to be a last minute decision to see how he’s doing.”
Jonathan Davis is also still on the injured list for an undisclosed reason, although he’s been working out in Toronto with the club this week. Wilmer Font, expected to face leverage out of Toronto’s bullpen, is similarly on the injured list without explanation, and hasn’t been spotted at Rogers Centre.
So, for the Blue Jays, plenty of questions remain. And plenty of uncertainty exists. But that was always going to be the case in a rushed camp ahead of an abbreviated season played amidst a global pandemic. Players knew to expect some unusual challenges coming in. And come Friday, we’ll begin to learn what we can expect of them.
“We’re trying to stay positive. We’re trying to focus on wining baseball games right now and let the front office deal with where our home games will be played,” Bass said. “Yeah, it’s challenging. There’s no question about it. Guys definitely are trying to figure things out for themselves and their families. But we know that we have one mission — and that’s to win a championship.”
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.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
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.
