TORONTO — The Chicago Cubs had men on the corners with two out in the second inning and Zach McKinstry was down 0-2 in the count when Toronto Blue Jays starter Mitch White wound up and Alfonso Rivas broke for second.
Here’s where everyone stood at delivery.
White’s fastball sailed in high for a ball, Alejandro Kirk popped up and fired to second without hesitation and as he did Yan Gomes, already a third of the way up the line with Matt Chapman playing off the bag, broke for home.
By the time the ball got to Bo Bichette at second base, Gomes was already more than halfway home and there was no chance to get an out at the plate, as you can see here.
Wisely, Bichette held the ball, chased Rivas, who pulled up when Kirk threw to second, and relayed to Cavan Biggio who applied the tag to end the frame. Still, Gomes touched home well before the third out, stealing the Cubs a run that opened up a 2-0 lead.
Not great, certainly, but by no means insurmountable. In isolation, not necessarily a big deal, either, because baseball happens and the other team is trying, too. Still, within the context of the current Blue Jays season, the play was emblematic of the small margins in which they’ve sometimes been too loose, making life more difficult if not costing themselves games.
In what ended as a 7-5 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday night, Gomes’ run wasn’t decisive on its own. But along with Ian Happ’s RBI single in the first on a 102.7 m.p.h. liner that faded just enough on Whit Merrifield, it made for “a couple of runs you can look back and replay in your mind a little bit,” said interim manager John Schneider.
When White surrendered a three-run third that opened up a 5-0 Cubs advantage, the clever dash by Gomes loomed even larger.
“The play, designed in a perfect world, is yeah, we’re throwing to second with the option to redirect and come back home,” Schneider said. “The catcher needs to look at third there and if you see Gomes down that far, that kind of supersedes you throwing to second, and it gives Chappy a little bit of time to get to the bag. For any catcher, although we’re throwing to second, you’ve got to check the runner and if he’s wandering like he was, you’ve got to make an adjustment.”
There wasn’t one this time and though the Blue Jays (70-59) made it interesting — getting a two-run homer from Biggio in the third and, after a Franmil Reyes solo drive in the fifth made it 6-2, and a three-run shot from Kirk in the sixth — they never got level again.
Chapman nearly tied it during the sixth when he lined a ball off the left-field wall, but after a Teoscar Hernandez walk, Biggio grounded out to end the frame.
A McKinstry RBI single in the seventh made it 7-5 and Rowan Wick of North Vancouver, B.C., the last of seven Cubs pitchers, closed the game out in the ninth before a frustrated crowd of 28,572.
The loss capped a disappointing 2-4 homestand that followed a 6-1 swing through the Bronx and Beantown and sent the Blue Jays into an off-day on a down note. At the same time, in spite of a 13-14 August, they’ll begin September in possession of the third and final wild-card spot.
“We feel pretty good,” said Biggio. “Obviously the series against Anaheim was a pretty tough one. But if you look at that road trip, kind of saw everything coming together, starting pitching, timely hitting, bullpen’s been nails. That was exciting to see. The Anaheim series and maybe today a little bit is the result of just the dog days of August. We’ve got a bunch of guys that are grinding right now and at the end of the day, that’s baseball.”
A 10-game road trip that begins Friday in Pittsburgh against the lowly Pirates looms large, as a crucial four-game set featuring a Monday doubleheader against the Orioles, two games back in the wild-card race, follows.
The Blue Jays were considering ways to reset their rotation to be at their best for that series, and three games at Texas follow, the last soft spot in a meat-grinder September schedule.
“To be in every game that matters for a playoff stretch down the last month, that’s great,” said Schneider. “With that, if you want to call it pressure, that’s awesome, that’s earned and we’ve definitely earned that. A lot of teams have earned that to this point. The group of guys that are in there are embracing the fact that every game is going to be important. It’s great for some of the young guys that we have that are doing this again like we did last year. And it’s great that we have veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. So we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
This time around the Blue Jays, of course, will be looking for a different outcome than the one they suffered through last year when they fell one game short of the playoffs. To that end, they’ll need to get White back on track as after allowing a career-high seven runs in his last start, he surrendered six more against the Cubs, despite getting 14 whiffs in 4.2 innings.
That’s an indicator that his fastball and slider can be effective, but that perhaps there are ways to better leverage them with tweaks around usage, along with the rest of his repertoire.
“These last two obviously been a little rough, so we’ve been looking into those kind of things,” said White. “Whether it’s pitch selection, pitch execution, that’s kind of where we break it down with Pete (Walker) on the video and then if there’s anything mechanical. We’re working on some small things in the ‘pen, but at this point in the season, it’s not like we’re making any big old changes mechanically.”
Then, of course, there’s playing tighter, as mistakes can at times be overcome against teams like the Cubs, but are even more troublesome against the tougher competition looming later this month.
“That’s a tricky play,” Biggio said of Gomes’ run in the second. “The first and third play that we put on was throw through, but if you see him break and you have a chance at home, try to turn it around and throw it home. But left-handed hitter was up, Chappy was a little bit off third, which allowed the baserunner to get a little bit bigger of a lead, so as soon as he threw the ball, he got a huge jump and there was no chance we were going to get him. Just a good baseball play by them executed pretty well.”
The kind of small play that can make a big difference.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
