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Blue Jays head into unexpected weekend off still seeking breakout at plate – Sportsnet.ca

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TORONTO – You know what the Toronto Blue Jays could really use? Well a few things, maybe. A home stadium, for instance, or someone to play this weekend. A closer or a centre-fielder would help, too.

But beyond the health and safety questions that are persisting league-wide and beyond the injuries already impacting the Blue Jays’ roster, what the club could really use is an offensive breakout.

One week into the season, they’re averaging just 3.57 runs per game. And since they have yet to score more than six runs in a game, manager Charlie Montoyo has had to navigate more than his share of leverage innings.

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At times, that’s led to the overexposure of relievers Sam Gaviglio and Shun Yamaguchi, both of whom should now be relegated to low-leverage spots whenever possible. And other times, it’s meant sub-par pitching performances leave the Blue Jays in a seemingly inescapable hole. That was certainly the case Thursday, when the Toronto offence couldn’t recover from a disappointing Hyun-Jin Ryu start and the Blue Jays lost the last game they’ll play for a while, 6-4.

“Yes, I am looking for our offence,” Montoyo said afterwards. “And I’d bet my house they’re going to start hitting pretty soon. There’s a few guys who haven’t hit yet, but I’d bet my house that they will. And the moment that happens, the way our pitching is pitching, we’re going to be okay.”

Despite a two-home run day from Teoscar Hernandez and a solo shot from Cavan Biggio, the Blue Jays managed little offence against the Nationals. The Toronto lineup is too talented to keep averaging less than four runs per game long-term, but the sooner the Jays start scoring runs in bunches, the easier it will be for Montoyo to manage his bullpen.

At least Hernandez has been hitting, building on the strong finish to 2019 that saw him post a .939 OPS in the second half. After a week, he leads MLB with four home runs thanks to a more selective approach at the plate.

“I’m trying to get more good pitches to hit,” he said. “I think that’s the key … I know I have the power to drive the ball out of the park.”

Meanwhile, if any hitter personifies the struggles of the team, it’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who grounded out three times in four trips to the plate. Guerrero Jr., who was the Blue Jays’ DH Thursday, is hitting just .172/.200/.276 one week into the season.

“He’s struggling right now,” Montoyo acknowledged. “But he’s a guy we believe in. We all know his potential, so I actually think these couple days off will give him a chance to regroup and I think he’s going to be okay.”

To be fair, the Blue Jays haven’t been playing at full strength. While Randal Grichuk (back) remained sidelined Thursday, shortstop Bo Bichette returned from the hamstring soreness that sidelined him for the previous three days and made his presence known immediately. On the first pitch he saw, Bichette hit home plate umpire Joe West with his backswing, chasing West from the game with Vic Carapazza taking over behind the plate.

Then, on the second pitch Bichette saw, he hit a leadoff double down the right-field line. He’d score two batters later when a pop-up off the bat of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. dropped in for an RBI single – one of three hits he’d collect on the afternoon.

But on the same day Bichette returned, left quad tightness forced Derek Fisher out of the game early. Considering Fisher had been playing well with Grichuk sidelined, that timing has to be frustrating for the Blue Jays.

A better start from Ryu would have created more margin for error, but the left-hander allowed five runs on nine hits in his second start with the Blue Jays. The approach he took was notable, even for a pitcher who typically relies heavily on off-speed stuff. Of the 93 pitches Ryu threw, just 12 were four-seam fastballs, and none of those were particularly fast. While he averaged 90.6 m.p.h. on his way to last year’s NL ERA title, Ryu topped out at 90.7 m.p.h. Thursday before giving way to Thomas Hatch.

“I feel healthy and I feel good, so I think moving forward it’s going to get better,” Ryu said afterwards through an interpreter.

Even if Ryu’s effort fell short, Hatch impressed for the second time in as many chances. The right-hander, who was acquired from the Cubs in last summer’s David Phelps trade, pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief while topping out at 95.1 m.p.h.

But Hatch’s performance was too little, too late so the Blue Jays head into their unexpected four-day break on a two-game losing streak. Most seasons, a weekend off this time of year would be a welcome respite from the grind. Now, it’s yet another reminder of how precarious the entire 2020 season is becoming.

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Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports

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Jake Allen loved being a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The hockey-mad market, the crackling Bell Centre on a Saturday night, the Original Six franchise’s iconic logo.

The 33-year-old goaltender is also realistic.

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With the Canadiens still in full rebuild mode — and two young netminders in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau ready for more playing time — Allen could see the writing on the wall.

Desperate for help in their own crease, the New Jersey Devils asked Montreal about the veteran’s availability. But the team, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters earlier this month, was initially on Allen’s no-trade list.

There wasn’t anything the Fredericton product disliked about the organization or city. The Devils simply appeared to have their crease set for years to come.

But when the club that finished with 112 points and made the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23 was badly hampered by poor play from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid — each netminder owned save percentages below .900 — the Devils circled back.

And Allen had changed his tune.

“Loved my time as a Hab,” he said of pulling on Montreal’s red, white and blue threads. “I always will cherish that. Put on probably the most special jersey in hockey, in my books. But you realize in your career, it doesn’t last forever.

“You’ve got to make decisions sometimes.”

Allen, who is signed through next season, eventually agreed to a deal that sent him to New Jersey ahead of the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline for a conditional third-round pick at the 2025 draft.

Apart from playing meaningful hockey on a team trying to claw its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, the swap gave him more runway to get his family settled in a new city instead of waiting to see what this summer’s crowded goalie market might bring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit selfish,” said Allen, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “Look yourself in the mirror and wonder what’s best for you and your family.”

He’s been really good for his new team.

Allen was lights out in Tuesday’s first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making an eye-popping 25 saves in what would turn into New Jersey’s 6-3 victory.

So far he’s 4-2-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in six starts for the Devils, who sit five points back of the East’s second wild-card spot.

“A real pro,” said interim head coach Travis Green.

Allen is a combined 10-14-3 in 2023-24 with a .900 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Across his 11 seasons with St. Louis, Montreal and now New Jersey, he’s 193-164-41 with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA.

“Makes the saves we need to get some momentum back,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If you have a solid goalie in the net, that makes your work easier.”

Allen is also 11-12 with a .924 and a 2.06 GAA all-time in the playoffs — a good sign for his new club should New Jersey manage to make the cut.

For now, though, he’s just enjoying being back in a post-season race.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to come in the rest of this year, play some games,” Allen said.

“It’s been a good start.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

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Matthews game-time decision for Maple Leafs against Capitals with illness – NHL.com

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TORONTOAuston Matthews will be a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, MNMT) because of an illness.

“It’s going to be on how he feels throughout the day,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

The forward did not participate in Toronto’s morning skate. Max Domi took his place as the center on a line between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, a right wing recovering from a high-ankle sprain sustained March 7 and will be out the next two games.

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Matthews leads the NHL with 59 goals, one from becoming the ninth player in NHL history with at least two 60-goal seasons. He scored 60 in 73 games in 2021-22, when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. He had one goal and nine shots in 23:44 of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, which extended his point streak to five games (four goals, seven assists).

He missed one game this season with illness, a 7-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16.

“Of course, it’s an adjustment when your best player is out of the lineup,” Domi said, “when anybody is out of the lineup, but I think we’ve done a great job all year of guys stepping up when they have to, and we just have to continue to do that.”

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

“He just remains day to day,” Keefe said. “We’re hopeful he’s going to bounce back here. The one thing that is good is once he gets through this day or two here, it’s not going to be a lingering situation. It’s not going to be an injury that’s ongoing. Once he’s past it, he’s past it so we just need to give him some time.”

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.”

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

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Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout.

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

 

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday.

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13.

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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