Second start and second poor start for Hyun-Jin Ryu. He just didn’t seem to have it today. Whatever it might be. He wasn’t hitting his spots. He’s not a guy that’s going to throw high 90s but he was throwing even softer than advertised. He was staying away from the fastball, and when he did throw one, you saw why.
He went 4.1, allowed 9 hits, 5 earned, 1 walk with 5 strikeouts. He threw a ton of pitches (93 in that 4.1) and seemed to get to a full count on almost everyone. He seemed to get to the point where he had to throw a pitch down the middle.
Maybe it is the shortened camp time. Or perhaps the heat got to him. Hopefully he’ll work it out soon. Maybe have Reese catch him next time.
Thomas Hatch, on the other hand, was terrific. 2.2 innings with just 1 hit and 1 walk. In his 2 appearances, he’s got 5 scoreless innings.
Wilmer Font had trouble in his second time out there. He gave up 3 singles, with just 1 out, to load the bases.
Jacob Waguespack came in in a tough spot. He gave up a sac fly but got out of the inning. He had a 3-up, 3-down ninth.
On the offensive side, we gotta start scoring more runs. Some hits with runners on base would be an idea.
We had 11 hits and 2 walks, with 3 home runs and we only scored 4 runs. We scored:
1 in the first: Bo Bichette hit the second pitch of the game for a double (a really nice swing, he hit another ball really well but for an out) and Lourdes Gurriel singled him home.
1 in the fourth: Teoscar Hernandez hit a solo homer, this third of the season. The ball hit a railing above the center field wall and, at first they thought he went off the wall for a triple, but the review was quick.
1 in the seventh: Cavan Biggio homered, his second of the season.
1 in the eighth: Teoscar homered again. He crushed this one.
Gurriel and Hernandez had had 3 hits each. They are the only two who are looking really good at the plate. Bo had 2 hits, both doubles, one in his first at bat, and one in his last, which gave us hope, putting the tying run at the plate with two outs, but Daniel Hudson struck out Cavan Biggio.
We had 0 fors from Vladimir Guerrero (0 for 4, hitting into a double play. He hit a fly ball his last time up, but just to medium left) and Brandon Drury (0 for 3). Well Danny Jansen was 0 for 2, but had 2 walks and he hit one to the wall in the ninth but Victor Robles made a very nice catch.
I don’t know what to thing about Vlad. Really the only thing they can do is keep sending him out there and hope things improve. Or call his dad and have him sit on the bench with Dante.
Derek Fisher came out of the game with with ‘left quad tightness’. We thought it might have just been the heat, he didn’t look healthy on the bench.
I mentioned that Bo doubled on the second pitch of the game. On the first pitch, the bat slipped out of his hands on the follow through and caught umpire Joe West in the side of the head. There was a fair bit of blood and West left the game, but he came back a couple of innings later, umpiring at third.
Jays of the Day: Let’s give one to Teoscar (just a .078 WPA, but I figure you deserve a JoD if you hit two homers) and Hatch (.094). Honorable mention to Gurriel.
Suckage: Ryu (-.309) and Vlad (-.144).
The Jays aren’t scheduled to play again until next Tuesday in Atlanta. Of course, with how things are going this season, I wouldn’t bet the farm on those games happening. I guess I’ll be catching up on the OOTP sim season.
We had 540 comments in the GameThread. FlipDown Shades led us to crushing 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.
