The Toronto Blue Jays will meet up with their four deadline acquisitions on Thursday in Minnesota before starting a four-game series against the new-look Twins.
Relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop, infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield and right-hander Mitch White are expected to join the team after being acquired in deals on Tuesday.
With outfielder George Springer battling a lingering elbow injury and right-hander Ross Stripling placed on the IL with a glute/hip strain on Wednesday, Merrifield and White figure to be needed this weekend.
Bass and Pop, meanwhile, should help a Blue Jays bullpen that is short on high-leverage arms.
Much of the pre-game attention will be on Merrifield, who is sure to be asked about his vaccination status after he missed a trip to Toronto with the Kansas City Royals last month.
Here’s a look at the Blue Jays-Twins series.
Probable pitchers
Thursday, 7:40 p.m. ET / 4:40 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Alek Manoah (11-5, 2.43 ERA) vs. Minnesota RHP Sonny Gray (6-3, 3.41 ERA)
Friday, 8:10 p.m. ET / 5:10 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Jose Berrios (8-4, 4.96 ERA) vs. Minnesota TBD
Saturday, 7:10 p.m. ET / 4:10 p.m. PT: Toronto TBD vs. Minnesota RHP Dylan Bundy (6-5, 5.04 ERA)
Sunday, 2:10 p.m. ET / 11:10 a.m. PT: Toronto TBD vs. Minnesota RHP Chris Archer (2-5, 4.05 ERA)
The Blue Jays (58-46) settled for a split of a mini-series at Tampa after a 3-2 loss to the Rays on Wednesday.
Yusei Kikuchi, in his second start back from a stint on the IL, looked good at first before the Rays got to the inconsistent lefty for one run in the third and another in the fourth. That was enough for Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider, who gave Kikuchi the hook after 74 pitches.
Offensively, the Blue Jays managed just four hits. Teoscar Hernandez was the bright spot with a solo home run and RBI double.
Before the game, Schneider said White, acquired from the Dodgers, is a candidate to start on Saturday in Stripling’s place.
Kevin Gausman would be in line to start Sunday’s game, though Toronto hasn’t named a starter yet. He pitched a gem on Tuesday, allowing just one hit and no runs in eight innings as Toronto won 3-1.
Toronto is in the first wild-card spot, two games ahead of the Seattle Mariners.
The AL Central-leading Twins (55-49) were buyers at the deadline, and three of their new players made an immediate impact on Wednesday.
Jorge Lopez, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles, nailed down his 20th save of the year in his Twins debut as Minnesota beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1.
Fellow reliever Michael Fulmer, acquired from Detroit, pitched a scoreless sixth against his old team, while catcher Sandy Leon, acquired from the Cleveland Guardians, had a two-run double as Minnesota won the series 2-1.
Minnesota is one game ahead of Cleveland for top spot in the AL Central. The Guardians and the Chicago White Sox, who are two games back of Minnesota, weren’t nearly as active as the Twins at the deadline.
The other new guy
The Twins also upgraded their starting rotation at the deadline, acquiring Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds.
The right-hander is 5-7 with a 4.40 ERA this season.
The Twins haven’t named a starter for Friday and Mahle hasn’t pitched since July 30, so that is the likely spot for his Minnesota debut. It would be an intriguing pitching matchup with ex-Twin Jose Berrios lined up to start for Toronto.
With their team ERA 19th in the majors, pitching was a priority for the Twins, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2004. By picking up Mahle, Fulmer and Lopez, they have improved on the mound and should be poised to make their third post-season appearance in four years.
Mahle did not make the trip to Toronto with the Reds in May because of vaccination status, so his status for any games at Rogers Centre in the playoffs could be in question.
The Twins won two of three in Toronto in June, hammering Blue Jays pitchers for 20 combined runs.
Gausman didn’t get out of the fourth inning in an 8-6 loss in the series finale, while Kikuchi (who doesn’t pitch this series) was roughed up in the opener (a 9-3 loss).
Berrios got the win against his old team in the second game, striking out 13 in seven innings in a 12-3 victory.
Up next
The Blue Jays are in Baltimore for three games against an Orioles team that was a seller at the trade deadline, despite being in wild-card contention.
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
____
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and
CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
