TORONTO — It wasn’t all that long ago that the Blue Jays were putting together nine-run innings. Just a few weeks back, on Aug. 6, they scored nine in the fifth inning against the visiting Boston Red Sox — and while no one would have described that outburst as usual, it hardly seemed out of character for a team with so much offensive ability.
Now, those days seem distant. Gone is the high-flying offence that would score in bunches. Instead, the offence has all but disappeared thanks to injuries, underperformance and some truly awful numbers with runners in scoring position. These days, they’re more likely to score six over the course of an entire series as they did against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park this weekend.
It hasn’t been good. At the same time, the Blue Jays have pitched so well that they were still able to emerge with their first series win since they beat up on those Red Sox earlier in the month. Jose Berrios pitched seven dominant innings Sunday, rebounding from some recent struggles to deliver a 2-1 win over Detroit and nudge the Blue Jays’ fading playoff hopes ahead.
“We’re winning because of pitching and defence and that’s great,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “Nail biters every day. It’s good that we’re winning when we’re not hitting because you know we’re better than what we’re doing right now at the plate. That’s coming. I know I keep saying that and it hasn’t come, but it will come and when it comes it’s going to be a lot of fun for this team.”
On a hot and humid day in Detroit, Berrios was exceptional. He overcame a 26-minute rain delay on his way to 11 strikeouts while allowing just one unearned run on six hits. This is exactly the kind of outing the Blue Jays had in mind when they acquired him ahead of the July 30 deadline, and it was a welcome contrast to the 12 earned runs the 27-year-old had allowed over his previous three starts and 12.1 innings.
Afterwards, Berrios said a mechanical adjustment helped him rebound. Instead of bringing his arms all the way over his head while winding up, he simply raised them from his belt to his chest before delivering.
“Because coming upstairs and then going forward I sometimes don’t feel like myself and sometimes I miss my release point,” Berrios explained. “Being simple, from my belt and coming a little bit up I feel more myself and tried to stay in line to home plate.”
“He was really good. He was on the whole time,” Montoyo added. “It’s not that easy to make an adjustment like that. You’ve got to give all the credit to the pitcher for making the adjustment and of course the pitching coach, Pete Walker, for doing it.”
Yet even with the win, the Blue Jays remain 6.0 games out of the second wild card spot with a 68-61 record. Their playoff odds — 5.3 per cent entering play Sunday, according to FanGraphs — will go up, but not by enough to scare the teams ahead of them all that much.
Offensively, the Blue Jays continued to underperform, squandering a bases-loaded, none-out opportunity in the seventh to create another stressful finish for Walker and Montoyo. Thankfully, Adam Cimber pitched well and Tim Mayza recorded his first career save on a day Jordan Romano was unavailable.
All the offence the Blue Jays got came from two solo home runs: a Bo Bichette opposite-field shot in the first inning followed by Kevin Smith’s first career home run three innings later. Smith, who was robbed of a near-home run, had 19 home runs in the minor leagues before earning his first ever call-up to the majors earlier this month.
While he was hitting those home runs at triple-A, he and his teammates would sometimes wonder whether the Blue Jays’ celebratory home run jacket would be their size. As it turns out, the fit wasn’t bad.
“Once I put it on I realized it was a little bit too big for me,” Smith joked afterwards. “Everyone was telling me I had to wear it until the inning was over.”
Before the game the Blue Jays activated Jarrod Dyson, who debuted as a pinch-runner before taking over defensively in centre field — a position he’s expected to play with some frequency as George Springer will likely be limited to designated hitter duty when he first returns from the injured list. Meanwhile, Santiago Espinal was placed on the injured list with a right hip flexor strain, meaning Smith and Breyvic Valera are the third base options for the time being.
From here, the Blue Jays head back home to Toronto where they’ll host the lowly Orioles and then the struggling Athletics. But regardless of who they’re facing, the Blue Jays have a lot of ground to make up, and overcoming this deficit won’t be possible unless their slumping offence can finally give an impressive pitching staff some support.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
