Toronto Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho celebrates after driving in two-runs with a bases-loaded double during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday, July 24, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)Marcio Jose Sanchez/The Associated Press
Daulton Varsho hit a tiebreaking two-run double in Toronto’s three-run 11th inning, sending the Blue Jays to a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
Matt Chapman homered in the eighth for the Blue Jays, who earned their 11th win in 16 games.
Toronto loaded the bases in the 11th on third baseman Chris Taylor’s throwing error and Whit Merrifield’s single before Varsho’s low line drive to right was misplayed by Jason Heyward, who wasn’t charged with an error. Bo Bichette drew a bases-loaded walk from Phil Bickford (2-3) to make it 6-3.
Jay Jackson (3-0) pitched two hitless innings of relief, retiring all of the Dodgers’ top hitters. All-Star closer Jordan Romano finished for his 28th save, tying Baltimore’s Félix Bautista for the AL lead.
Max Muncy homered in his third consecutive game for Los Angeles, hitting a 435-foot tying shot in the eighth inning. Heyward also homered for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who took their first back-to-back losses since July 2.
After Chapman put the Blue Jays ahead 3-2 with his first homer since July 6, Muncy tied it with a drive off Trevor Richards for his 25th homer of the season. The slugger, who also had an early RBI single, has eight hits, four homers and 13 RBIs in his last five games.
The Dodgers loaded the bases later in the eighth, but pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas flied out.
Michael Grove yielded eight hits with six strikeouts while pitching into the fifth inning for the Dodgers. Grove is one of three rookies currently in L.A.’s injury-plagued rotation with the trade deadline looming.
Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged his team urgently needs starting pitching, even with Clayton Kershaw likely returning in August. Los Angeles’ starters entered Monday ranked 29th in the majors with a 6.12 ERA since Kershaw’s last start in late June.
“Given the experience and the health of the starters, this is probably as forefront of mind, just kind of the (overall) pitching in general, as it’s been in my tenure here,” Roberts said.
José Berríos yielded five hits and four walks over five innings for Toronto.
Heyward connected in the fourth for his 10th homer with Los Angeles after hitting only nine for the Cubs in the previous two seasons combined.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. delivered a tying RBI single in Toronto’s two-run fifth.
CONFLICTED DEWEY
Drew Doughty threw out the first pitch on L.A. Kings Night in a particularly appropriate matchup for the star defenceman. The Ontario native is a long-time fan of the Blue Jays, whose cap he wears frequently around town, but he also regularly attends Dodgers games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: LHP Hyun Jin Ryu is joining the Jays in Los Angeles as his return nears, manager John Schneider said. Ryu spent seven years with the Dodgers before joining Toronto on a four-year, $80 million contract that ends this season. Ryu might throw a simulated game before he returns to the major league mound.
Dodgers: All-Star slugger J.D. Martinez missed his second straight game with hamstring tightness. Roberts said Martinez will start Tuesday. … Noah Syndergaard threw at Dodger Stadium between starts in his rehab assignment. He has been out since June 7, ostensibly with a blister, after a series of terrible starts. Roberts said that after Syndergaard makes his third appearance for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, “that’s when the rubber meets the road and we’ll have to make a decision.”
UP NEXT
Julio Urías (7-6, 5.02 ERA) makes his first start for the Dodgers since yielding a career-high eight runs in Baltimore last week. He faces Toronto’s Chris Bassitt (10-5, 3.92), who is 3-0 with a 3.68 ERA in his last seven starts.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
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