For old guys like me, some things are frustrating.
Tanner Roark, through 4 innings, allowed 2 hits (both homers), 3 walks and 3 strikeouts, leaving the inning with 68 pitches.
And he comes out of the game.
I know, this is the way it is going to be, this season. That starters, for the most part, are going to only go twice through the order. And I get there is a lot of stats showing it is smart.
But 68 pitches.
I’m going to have to live with it this year. Next year, with (God willing) fewer pitchers in the pen and (again God willing), 162 games, I don’t think we can go with this plan.
Honestly, I shouldn’t complain too much. Our bullpen is doing much much better than I would have expected, especially with Giles and Romano out.
Or, to put it differently, this is the way it is, stop complaining.
Anyway Ross Stripling comes in and he had a rough fifth inning. It went single, ground out, single, walk, strikeout, 3-run double, ground out.
After that he went 2.1 very good innings, but the damage was done.
Ryan Borucki got the last 2 outs of the eighth. Sean Reid Foley pitched the ninth, looking much better than he did in his last appearance. He was hurt by some bad defense and an umpire who wouldn’t give him a call on a perfect pitch. He gave up a hit and a walk, and 2 unearned runs.
Roark didn’t like being taken out early either:
“I think that’s horsecrap.” A clearly frustrated #Bluejays starter Tanner Roark at getting the early hook. Not a fan of the “computers” that are deciding outing lengths.
Offensively, we did little. 6 hits total, no walks. We did have a fair number of hard hit balls that found gloves. No Jay had more than one hit.
Yankees’ starter Deivi Garcia was terrific, going 7 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 earned with 6 strikeouts.
Our 2 runs came on a Derek Fisher home run in the second inning.
The play I want to complain about happened in the bottom of the eighth. Two outs, down by 3, Randal Grichuk on first after a single and he gets caught stealing second to end the inning. It is just stupid baseball.
If he was safe it wouldn’t have improved our WPA. His run doesn’t matter, it is 2 runs after him that matter.
It is just another in a season of bad base running choices.
The other interest thing was Lourdes Gurriel playing first in the ninth inning, which almost got us another injured player. First batter of the ninth, D.J. LeMahieu, ground a fairly easy one to short, but Jonathan Villar threw wide of first and Lourdes got his arm in the way of D.J. trying to make the play. I’ve seen guys badly injured on that type of play. Had Lourdes been injured, I can’t see how you wouldn’t fire Charlie. Villar must have the highest percentage of crappy throws that I’ve seen from a middle infielder.
Villar made a very nice play later in the inning, hard ground ball that Travis Shaw, at third, gets a glove on but just deflects it into the air. Villar barehanded it, before it hit the ground and made a great throw to first (this time).
Jay of the Day: Derek Fisher (.159 WPA).
Suckage: Stripling (-.236) and Grichuk (-.101, 1 for 3, 2 k and the stupid caught stealing).
We had 423 comments in the GameThread. EMK19 led us to bitter defeat.
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.
