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Blue Jays find cruel variation to all-too-familiar fate in frustrating loss – Sportsnet.ca

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3 years ago

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TORONTO – The easiest way for the Toronto Blue Jays to avoid the late-leverage issues that sunk their recent nine-game road trip and have dogged them all season is, rather obviously, to score enough runs that close-and-late spots don’t even happen.

To a certain degree, they’re built to win in a bludgeon-the-opposition fashion, using offence to provide the margin-of-error needed to mask other shortcomings. But putting up six-or-more runs isn’t always going to happen, even when the matchup suggests that should be the case.

Take Friday’s infuriating 4-1 loss in 10 innings to the Detroit Tigers, for example.

In theory, stacking a lineup with nine righties against left-hander Tyler Alexander, who began the night with an .848 OPS allowed against them, should have resulted in a relatively low-stress night for manager Charlie Montoyo and Co.

Factor in Robbie Ray starting and delivering his latest gem in a season that deserves more appreciation for how pivotal it’s been to the club’s fortunes, and everything seemed to have lined up in their favour.

Instead, late leverage once again found the Blue Jays, as Alexander escaped jams in the second and third unscathed, surrendered Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 36th homer of the season – and first since Aug. 8 – leading off the fourth and then held things down through the seventh.

As a result, the Blue Jays once again had to sweat through the final frames, and once again failed to close out a tight game in their grasp, as a Ray wild pitch Alejandro Kirk allowed to slip through the wickets tied the game 1-1 in the eighth. They then compounded matters by squandering two on and none out in both the eighth and ninth innings, gifting an out to a wild Gregory Soto on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt in the latter frame.

That proved costly in the 10th when pinch-hitter Harold Castro stayed back on a Trevor Richards changeup and dunked it into left field to bring in Willi Castro with the go-ahead run, and after a walk, Adam Cimber surrendered run-scoring singles to Jonathan Schoop and Jeimer Candelario.

The entire rally came with two outs, adding to a cruel variation to an all-too-familiar fate for the Blue Jays, who went quietly in the bottom half to lose for the sixth time in seven games and fall to 2-8 in extra innings before a crowd of 14,649.

“We didn’t execute,” lamented Montoyo. “That’s the deal.”

That applied well beyond the bullpen on this night, as the offence went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position while hitting into four double plays. Then, in the critical moments, there was Kirk not blocking the Ray pitch, Valera bunting to first instead of third, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. uncorking a wild throw toward the Tigers dugout when he had a chance to get Castro at the plate and keep the game tied.

“I thought the guy was going to be out by a mile and Gurriel is really accurate, one of the most accurate outfielders. And when things don’t go your way, it’s funny, he makes a throw that’s not even close,” said Montoyo, who added later: “When you’re trying to win, you try a little harder. That’s just not how it goes. It should be the other way around – calm down.

“And you can tell we’re trying hard because our guy on the mound was lights out, like he’s always been, did an outstanding job for eight innings, gave us a chance, and maybe we were trying too hard to score for him. We didn’t do it.”

A lack of recent bullpen execution is one reason Montoyo chose to ride Ray, even as his pitch count climbed all the way to 109, in a comment both on how dominant the lefty was, and the Blue Jays’ lack of faith in the options behind him.

Essentially they preferred having Ray at the end of his night face Robbie Grossman and Schoop a fourth time to any of their fresh set-up arms right after an off-day – a call validated by the 10th inning.

No matter, as everything the Blue Jays do in leverage outside of Jordan Romano of late seems to backfire, the way it did again this time. Zack Short opened the eighth with a single, was promptly sacrificed to second by Grayson Greiner and then cleverly stole third to force the infield in for Grossman.

His fly ball to right field wasn’t deep enough to score the run but with Schoop up, Ray bounced a slider through Kirk’s five-hole and poof went the lead. Schoop struck out two pitches later, capping a brilliant eight-inning, five-hit, 11-strikeout from Ray that wasn’t enough.

The missed opportunities in the eighth and ninth followed, with Valera put in to hit for Kirk and bunt Soto’s all over the place 100 m.p.h. He missed on his first two attempts and then with two strikes pushed one right to a charging Schoop at first, who fired across the diamond to get the lead runner. Randal Grichuk followed with his second double play of the night.

“We’re not scoring runs, that’s obvious,” said Montoyo. “We just wanted to put the pressure on the other pitcher. (Valera) has got to bunt to the third-base side because Schoop was right there. Now anything (in play) wins the game. We just didn’t execute.”

After Romano pitched a clean ninth, that led to Richards in the 10th and more frustration.

“Trevor makes his pitch there – changeup, a foot off the plate and a guy dumps it into left field,” said Ray. “It’s just a tough break. You make your pitch and sometimes that happens. It’s no fault of anybody’s in that situation. You tip your cap. It was definitely tough to watch but we’re going to come back tomorrow and get back at it.”

There’s no alternative for the Blue Jays, who amid a softer portion of their schedule aren’t pitching well when they hit, aren’t hitting well when they pitch, and not playing a tight enough game to make up the gaps.

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

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7 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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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.

___

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

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8 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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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).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

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September 19, 2024

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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.

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