adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Sports

Jays claim RHPs Castro and Lockett off waivers

Published

 on

The Blue Jays claimed two pitchers off waivers. Anthony Castro from the Tigers and Walker Lockett from the Mariners. Both are right-handers.

Bless You Boys had Castro listed as the Tigers #24 prospect before the 2020 season.

Castro pitches with substantial feel and power, despite a lanky frame and an elaborate delivery. He can ramp his fastball into the upper 90s and is comfortable sitting at 93-95 miles per hour with good life. Castro has always had the ability to spin a good breaking ball, and we have seen a few different iterations over the years. However, in 2019, Castro’s low-80s slurve really emerged in a big way, showing consistently nasty break that helped him to a fine 26.5 percent strikeout rate. Both pitches were reliably plus offerings this season and at his best flashed better than plus.

He pitched 1 inning for the Tigers this year. In 2019 he pitched in AA Erie with a 4.40 ERA in 27 games, 18 starts. In 102.1 innings he allowed 75 hits, 65 walks and 116 strikeouts.

Command is the issues. Career, in the minors, he’s allowed 4 walks per 9 innings. He is 25. Born in Caracas, Venzuela.

300x250x1

Lockett will be 27 in May. He pitched 16.1 MLB innings between the Mets and Mariners this season.

In 2019 the had a 3.82 ERA in 66 innings, mostly in AAA Syracuse with a 3.66 ERA in 66 innings, he allowed 83 hits, 11 walks and 45 strikeouts, as well as 22 innings with the Mets. He doesn’t throw as hard as Castro, getting to 92 with his fastball. He gets a lot of ground balls with a sinker and curve.

Baseball America had him #22 on their Mets’ prospect list before the season.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lockett reached the majors for a second straight season in 2019, only to be hit hard once again. He allowed 21 runs and 39 baserunners in 22.2 innings. Despite this, scouts regard Lockett as an intriguing young arm with a three-pitch mix who might find more success if he de-emphasized his fastball. He pitches at 92-93 mph and tops out at 96 with sinking, running action on his fastball and average extension. His low-80s slider has above-average spin and is his preferred second pitch, but his high-80s changeup actually produced more swinging strikes in the majors. Lockett throws strikes and keeps his pitches low in the strike zone, but he’s not overpowering and requires weak contact to succeed.

This brings the Jays 40-man roster back to a full 40.


Dick (Richie) Allen passed away. Allen was 78.

Allen had a terrific career. In 15 seasons, he hit .292/.378/.534 with 351 home runs. He was AL MVP in 1972. Was NL Rookie of the year in 1954 and make 7 All-Star teams.

He wasn’t liked by the press. He wasn’t a fun interview and he had more than his share of fights with opponents and sometimes teammates. He was considered an ‘angry young man’, a bit of 70s code:

In New York during the same period, the foibles of Mickey Mantle and others were hushed and covered up by reporters who knew far worse tales than Allen’s missteps. The double standard was plain to everyone except the public. “That’s always been there for the black player,” Allen wrote in his memoir Crash in 1989. “Through the years, in the underground, with little whispers around the dugout, we thought that was a way baseball kept black players under control.”

Those in management came around late to the line of the thinking espoused by those who played with Allen, who would concede he was a free spirit, a wild card and a rebel but emphasize that he was a good teammate and a fierce competitor.

He really should be in the Hall of Fame.

Source: – Bluebird Banter

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

Published

 on

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.

300x250x1

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.”

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Senators score 5 in 1st, cruise past Sabres – NHL.com

Published

 on


“I thought that we were ready to go,” Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. “We got some pucks at the net, we got people at the net. Took advantage of our opportunities and, I think, built a nice lead. And then I thought, in the third period, we continued again. Our goaltending was good. Made some key saves. But I thought we shut them down in the third period good.”

Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists, and Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun and Drake Batherson each had a goal and an assist for the Senators (31-36-4), who have won three in a row. Korpisalo made 34 saves.

“If you want to win, you need balance,” Pinto said. “And we had that tonight and it’s going to be big for the back-to-back tomorrow (against the Chicago Blackhawks) to have that same thing. So, going to need all the guys on board.”

300x250x1

JJ Peterka and Connor Clifton scored for the Sabres (34-34-5), who have lost four of six. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on nine shots before he was replaced by Devon Levi, who made 31 saves in relief.

“We wanted, I guess, to play as individuals,” Clifton said. “I’m disappointed we let ‘Upie’ down, he’s the heart and soul of this team. He’s kept us in so many games, and just to not show up and play that careless style, give them freebies all over the place. … Yeah, obviously, the first 20 really dictated the rest of the game.”

Artem Zub gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 2:37 of the first period. He stuffed in a loose puck on the goal line after Katchouk’s shot was redirected by Mark Kastelic between Luukkonen’s pads.

Katchouk made it 2-0 at 4:56, tipping Parker Kelly’s shot from the top of the right face-off circle past Luukkonen.

“It’s keeping the consistency with good effort, right habits,” Katchouk said. “The small things matter so much in this game. And obviously, it worked out tonight with the tip. But kudos to my linemates. ‘Kels’ and ‘Kassy,’ they worked hard to get the puck as well. Those two battle hard every night as well. We feed off each other, and it’s good to play with them.”

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Vasilevskiy stops 23 as surging Lightning beat Bruins – Sportsnet.ca

Published

 on


* public_profileBlurb *

* public_displayName *

300x250x1

* public_name *
* public_gender *
* public_birthdate *
* public_emailAddress *
* public_address *
* public_phoneNumber *

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending